ArticleJournal of clinical & translational endocrinology2020
Metformin adherence and discontinuation among patients with type 2 diabetes: A retrospective cohort study.
Article in Journal of clinical & translational endocrinology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Medication adherence tools and measures in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review.BMC nephrology · 2026Pooled it
- Trial
- New treatment for HDL cholesterol with Trichosanthin A and metformin in prediabetes: controlled clinical trialRevista medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social · 2024Trial
- Effects of the Norfolk diabetes prevention lifestyle intervention (NDPS) on glycaemic control in screen-detected type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.BMC medicine · 2021Trial
- Observational
- Evaluating prediction of short-term tolerability of five type 2 diabetes drug classes using routine clinical features: UK population-based study.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025Article
- Differential use of antidiabetic medication related to income, cohabitation and area of residence: a Swedish nationwide cohort study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2025Article
- Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Paediatric Population in a Real World Setting.Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism · 2025Article
- Article
- Randomized pilot trial of cell phone support to improve medication adherence among adolescents and young adults with chronic health conditions.BMC digital health · 2024Article
- Socioeconomic factors associated with poor medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2024Article
- Metformin's Enigma: Bridging Gaps in Research on Potential Benefits & Associated Risks - A Critical Plea for Comprehensive Investigation [Letter].Drug design, development and therapy · 2024Article
- Metformin's Enigma: Bridging Gaps in Research on Potential Benefits & Associated Risks - A Critical Plea for Comprehensive Investigation [Response to Letter].Drug design, development and therapy · 2024Article
- Adherence to Oral Antidiabetic Drugs in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Mechanism of the antidiabetic action ofFrontiers in nutrition · 2023Review
- Using the IMEDS distributed database for epidemiological studies in type 2 diabetes mellitus.BMJ open diabetes research & care · 2022Article
- Effectiveness of Medicinal Plants for Glycaemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes: An Overview of Meta-Analyses of Clinical Trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsTo describe discontinuation and adherence to metformin in the United Kingdom.
methodsThis was a retrospective analysis of data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database of type 2 diabetes patients aged ≥18 years with ≥1 metformin prescription in 2013. Metformin use was assessed in new and ongoing users, defined, respectively, as not having or having a prescription for metformin in the baseline period. Discontinuation was assessed in all patients and adherence in patients who did not discontinue metformin. Factors predictive of discontinuation and adherence were assessed.
resultsDiscontinuation among new and ongoing users was 35.9% and 23.1%, respectively. Among the continuers of metformin treatment, the adherence rate was 40.5% and 44.3% among new and ongoing users, respectively. Among new users, baseline use of DDP-4 inhibitors (HR 1.276) and diabetes duration (HR 1.013) were associated with an increased risk of discontinuation, whereas increased age (HR 0.997), concomitant lipid-lowering therapy (HR 0.956), macrovascular disease (HR 0.952), and chronic kidney disease (HR 0.952) were associated with a decreased risk of discontinuation among ongoing users. Variables positively associated with adherence in both user groups were (HR values for all patients) age (1.021), smoking status (1.188), and baseline comorbidities: chronic kidney disease, depression, dementia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1.106, 1.192, 2.27, and 1.211, respectively), while obesity (0.936) and HbA1c 8.0-8.9% (0.862; reference <6.5%) were negatively associated with adherence.
conclusionsAbout one-third of patients initiating metformin discontinued within 12 months and fewer than 50% of all patients are adherent to metformin.
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