Utilization Trend of Parenteral Antidiabetic Drugs in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Covered by Iran Health Insurance Organization from 2011 to 2030

BACKGROUND: Exploring and analyzing the cost of medicines is an important tool for their management and planning. This study aims to analyze the utilization and costs of parenteral anti-diabetic medications during the past decade and predict the future trend of these medications from 2021 to 2031 in people that are covered by Iran Health Insurance Organization (IHIO). METHODS: This study was based on secondary analysis of data routinely reported to IHIO from 2011 to 2019. For each drug, the Defined Daily Dose (DDDs) and DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day were calculated for the last 9 years according to the WHO protocol. Then a regression analysis was used to predict the utilization trend of each drug for the following 10 years. RESULTS: The overall utilization of injectable antidiabetic drugs has constantly increased during the last nine years. This increasing trend is estimated to continue during the next decade. CONCLUSION: In Iran, the increase in the diabetic population and better access in the future will be the main reasons for the increase in the utilization of various insulins. The increasing trend of utilizing injectable anti-diabetic drugs in Iran might be partly due to new patients and partly because of improvement in patient access to new treatments. This also suggests that, compared to the average in the commonwealth countries, Iranian diabetic patients has faced lack of drug utilization in the past decade that is gradually reducing.