Eli Lilly and Company Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Background: Insulin human is a well-established product for the treatment of diabetes mellitus; however, the scope of exposure during pregnancy is not well characterized.
Objectives: To describe the utilization of insulin human among female patients of childbearing age with diabetes in the US.
Methods: Administrative claims data for patients enrolled in the Truven Health MarketScan database between 2004 and 2016 were analyzed. Exposure to insulin human was defined by the National Drug Codes and brand name; diabetes type was defined by versions 9 and 10 of the International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes. Descriptive analysis results were presented for all female insulin human users, and stratified by age groups and diabetes type (T1D, T2D, and gestational diabetes).
Results: Of the 230,092 patients who were treated with insulin human, 59% were females (n=136,605). The majority (68%) of those females had T2D; 22% had T1D; and 20% had gestational diabetes, including pre-existing diabetes during pregnancy. About 41% were in the childbearing age group (15-44 years), corresponding to 32% with T1D and 29% with T2D. Almost all insulin human users of childbearing age had gestational diabetes. On average, females of childbearing age had shorter duration of diabetes compared to older patients (13 vs. 31 months). Among those aged 15-44 years, the duration of diabetes was shorter in gestational diabetes than other diabetes types, which reflects having new-onset gestational diabetes (15 vs. 25 months).
Conclusions: Females with diabetes of childbearing age are treated with insulin human according to disease management guidelines, which recommend using insulin therapy for the treatment of diabetes during pregnancy.
