Objective
To describe trends and identify factors associated with choice of pharmacotherapy for gestational diabetes (GDM) from 2000–2011 using a healthcare claims database.
Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study of a large nationwide population of commercially insured women with GDM and pharmacy claims for glyburide or insulin prior to delivery, 2000–2011. We excluded women younger than 15 years or older than 50 years, those with prior type 2 diabetes, or those who had multiple gestations. We estimated trends over time in the use of glyburide compared with insulin and prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between covariates of interest and treatment with glyburide compared with insulin.
Results
We identified 10,778 women with GDM treated with glyburide (n=5,873) or insulin (n=4,905). From 2000–2011, glyburide use increased from 7.4% to 64.5%, becoming the more common treatment in 2007. Women less likely to be treated with glyburide were those with metabolic syndrome (PR=0.71, 95%CI: 0.50– 0.99), hyperandrogenism (PR=0.77, 95%CI: 0.62–0.97), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PR=0.88, 95%CI: 0.78–0.99), hypothyroidism (PR=0.89, 95%CI: 0.83–0.96) or undergoing infertility treatment (PR=0.93, 95%CI: 0.86–1.02). The probability of receiving glyburide decreased by 5% for every 10-year increase in maternal age (PR=0.95, 95%CI: 0.91–0.99). Among women prescribed with glyburide, 7.8% switched or augmented to a different drug class compared with 1.1% of insulin initiators.
Conclusion
Glyburide has replaced insulin as the more common pharmacotherapy for GDM over the last decade among those privately insured. Given its rapid uptake and the potential implications of suboptimal glucose control on maternal and neonatal health, robust evaluation of glyburide’s relative effectiveness is warranted to inform treatment decisions for women with gestational diabetes.