Cross-sectional survey of biosimilar insulin utilization in Asia: The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation Program.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Biosimilar insulin can reduce treatment costs, although the extent of its use is largely unknown. We examined biosimilar insulin use and its associations with the quality of glycemic control using the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation register. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional analysis in 81,531 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes enrolled into the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation Program from 2007 to 2014. All insulin related terms are extracted from the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation portal, and compared clinical profiles between biosimilar and originator insulin users. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess the association of biosimilar insulin compared with originator insulin with dosage, glycated hemoglobin and hypoglycemia events. RESULTS: Amongst 81,531 patients, 20.5% (n = 16,738) were insulin-treated. In four countries with high use of biosimilar insulin, 4.7% (n = 719) of insulin users (n = 10,197) were treated with biosimilar insulin (India n = 507, 70.3%; the Philippines n = 90, 12.5%; China n = 62, 8.6%; Vietnam n = 60, 8.3%). Biosimilar insulin users were younger and had higher body mass index, glycated hemoglobin, insulin dosage and more frequent hypoglycemia than originator insulin users. These associations were non-significant after adjustment for confounders. Only age, college education, diabetes education, lipid control, physical activity and history of cardiovascular complications were independently associated with these quality measures. CONCLUSIONS: Biosimilar insulin use is not uncommon in Asia. Data exclusion due to incomplete capturing of brand names suggests possibly higher use. The multiple determinants of the quality of glycemic control call for establishment of prospective cohorts and diabetes registers to monitor the safety and efficacy of different brands of biosimilar insulin and their impacts on clinical outcomes.

Correlation of CD4 counts with renal disease in HIV positive patients.

To correlate CD 4 counts with albuminuria and glomerular lesions in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), we studied 104 HIV positive patients (68 males, 36 females) of whom 100 patients were infected by heterosexual contact, 3 by transfusion, and 1 by i.v. drug abuse. We screened over nine months for albuminuria by urine dip stick method, and performed renal biopsy on patients with albuminuria 2+ or more. Histological examination was accomplished by light microscopy in all and by electron microscopy when it was feasible. Albuminuria was observed in 29 (27%) patients, and it revealed a significant negative correlation with CD4 count (p<0.01). Patients with CD4 cells <350 cells/mm(3) disclosed a 3.5 fold increased risk of albuminuria as compared with patients with CD4 >350 cells/mm(3). There was no significant correlation between proteinuria and the duration of infection from the time of diagnosis. Albuminuria also demonstrated a significant negative correlation with the levels of hemoglobin (p<0.05). In addition, low numbers of CD4 cells were associated with lower levels of hemoglobin (p<0.001). Only 10 patients received renal biopsies, and the results revealed HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) in 7 (70%) patients, chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis in 1, membranous glomerulopathy in 1, and diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis in 1. Acute renal failure was present in 5 patients, of whom four had a pre renal component and one had multiorgan dysfunction syndrome. We conclude that our study demonstrates that both proteinuria and HIVAN are common in HIV infected patients. Proteinuria has a negative correlation with the CD4 counts and hemoglobin levels.