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Use of non‐insulin antidiabetic drugs in children and young adults – A Scandinavian drug utilization study from 2010–2019
Author(s) -
Jensen Helene K.,
Rasmussen Lotte,
Furu Kari,
Karlstad Øystein,
Linder Marie,
Cesta Carolyn E.,
Pottegård Anton
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/bcp.14867
Subject(s) - medicine , insulin , metformin , drug , diabetes mellitus , population , demography , endocrinology , environmental health , pharmacology , sociology
Knowledge on utilization patterns of non‐insulin antidiabetic drugs in childhood and youth is limited. Therefore, we conducted a population‐based drug utilization study using publicly available aggregate data on use of non‐insulin antidiabetics from 2010 to 2019 in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) in individuals aged up to 24 years. For each non‐insulin antidiabetic drug, we calculated the annual prevalence proportion of users, overall and for specific age groups. From 2010 to 2019, the prevalence of non‐insulin antidiabetic users in Scandinavia increased 37% from 0.43 to 0.59/1000 individuals. The prevalence proportions were highest among female adolescents and young adults, but the largest relative increase in use was seen among 10–14‐year‐olds (78%). Metformin was by far the most widely used non‐insulin antidiabetic drug with a prevalence proportion of 0.51/1000 in 2019, followed by glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) analogues, which, however, showed an eight‐fold relative increase during the study period.