Effectiveness of the Lilly Connected Care Program in Improving Glycemic Management Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in China: Retrospective Real-world Study

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a worldwide public health concern. Mobile health management platforms could be a potential way to achieve effective glycemic control. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of the Lilly Connected Care Program (LCCP) platform in glycemic control among patients with T2DM in China. METHODS: This retrospective study included Chinese patients with T2DM (aged ≥18 years) from April 1, 2017, to January 31, 2020, for the LCCP group and from January 1, 2015, to January 31, 2020, for the non-LCCP group. Propensity score matching was used to match the LCCP and non-LCCP groups to reduce confounding, with covariates including age, sex, the duration of diabetes, baseline hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)), and the number of oral antidiabetic medication classes. HbA(1c) reduction over 4 months, the proportions of patients achieving an HbA(1c) reduction of ≥0.5% or ≥1%, and the proportions of patients reaching to target HbA(1c) level of ≤6.5% or <7% were compared between the LCCP and non-LCCP groups. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess factors associated with HbA(1c) reduction. RESULTS: A total of 923 patients were included, among whom 303 pairs of patients were well matched after propensity score matching. HbA(1c) reduction during the 4-month follow-up was significantly larger in the LCCP group than the non-LCCP group (mean 2.21%, SD 2.37% vs mean 1.65%, SD 2.29%; P=.003). The LCCP group had a higher proportion of patients with an HbA(1c) reduction of ≥1% (209/303, 69% vs 174/303, 57.4%; P=.003) and ≥0.5% (229/303, 75.6% vs 206/303, 68%; P=.04). The proportions of patients reaching the target HbA(1c) level of ≤6.5% were significantly different between the LCCP and non-LCCP groups (88/303, 29% vs 61/303, 20.1%; P=.01), whereas the difference in the proportions of patients reaching the target HbA(1c) level of <7% was not statistically significant (LCCP vs non-LCCP: 128/303, 42.2% vs 109/303, 36%; P=.11). LCCP participation and higher baseline HbA(1c) were associated with a larger HbA(1c) reduction, whereas older age, longer diabetes duration, and higher baseline dose of premixed insulin analogue were associated with a smaller HbA(1c) reduction. CONCLUSIONS: The LCCP mobile platform was effective in glycemic control among patients with T2DM in China in the real world.