Māori with Type 2 diabetes less likely to receive additional treatment

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-01-21 00:01

New Zealand

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Māori are far less likely to have newly funded medicines added to their treatment regimes than Asian and European patients, according to a new study on vildagliptin, a potent drug that helps people manage type 2 diabetes. The drug received open access funding from PHARMAC in 2018, but an analysis of medical records from 31 general practices in the Waikato region have revealed significant ethnic disparities in prescription rates, despite Māori being more likely to experience complications from the illness. Researchers also found significant differences between the rate of prescription by different doctors, with some practices initiating vildagliptin treatment for more than 80% of their diabetic patients, and some not prescribing it at all.