Pharmacoeconomic aspects of the use of sulfonylurea drugs in type 2 diabetes mellitus

In Russia, sulfonylurea drugs are extensively prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This work was designed to study pharmacoeconomic aspects of application of 2nd generation sulfonylureas based on the results of the GUIDE study comparing effects of therapy with gliclazide modified release (diabeton MV) and glimepiride (amaryl). The two drugs are known to be equally effective, but gliclazide creates a much smaller risk of hypoglycemia than glymepiride. Cost-effectiveness analysis showed that the use of gliclazide cuts the costs of therapy by 40%. It is concluded that the choice of gliclazide modified release is economically more feasible than glimepiride.