Criteria influencing the choice of starting insulin regimen in patients with type 2 diabetes in routine clinical practice: Baseline data from the Algerian cohort of the A1chieve study

Aim: To examine the criteria that may influence physicians' choice of starting insulin in type 2 diabetes patients in routine practice in Algeria as a sub-analysis of the A1chieve study. Methods: A1chieve was a 24-week international, prospective, non-interventional study conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30), insulin detemir (IDet), or insulin aspart alone or in combination, in real-life clinical settings. We report an analysis of baseline data from insulin-naive patients initiating basal or premix insulin from the Algeria cohort (n = 1494). Demographic and anthropometric data, blood glucose control at inclusion, microvascular complications, and pre-study therapy was compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 772 insulin-naive patients initiating therapy with IDet or BIAsp 30 were included in this analysis: IDet: 638 (83%), BIAsp 30: 134 (17%). Most IDet-group patients initiated once-daily therapy (n = 636; 99.7%); conversely, most BIAsp 30-group patients started twice-daily therapy (n = 104; 77.6%). Baseline factors influencing regimen choice were microvascular complications (odds ratio [95% CI], yes/no: 0.73 [0.55, 0.98]; p = 0.034) and HbA1c at baseline (%, odds ratio [95% CI] 0.82 [0.72, 0.94]; p = 0.004). Conclusions: In routine practice, physicians in Algeria are more likely to prescribe basal insulin at initiation of insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes. The prescription of a premix insulin therapy correlated with poor glycaemic control and the incidence of microvascular complications. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.