Problems for type 2 diabetes prescribing in Brazil and Mexico

Coverage of injectable type 2 diabetes therapies by public programs for pharmaceutical assistance in Brazil is limited to regular and NPH (neutral protamine Hagedorn) insulin and does not include any insulin analogues or Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogues, notes a new report from health care advisory firm Decision Resources.

In Mexico, although coverage of insulin analogues is moderate, most public programs do not provide coverage for GLP-1 analogues. As a result, GLP-1 analogue prescribing is uncommon in the public setting in both countries, particularly Brazil, where surveyed clinicians report that just 1% of publically-funded patients currently receive a GLP-1 analogue. Brazilian payers add that the current off–label use of GLP-1 analogues for weight loss is a barrier to public coverage of these agents.

Patient difficulties in paying for GLP-1 analogues