An assessment of treatment satisfaction, adverse effects, cost of treatment among patients with type 2 diabetes for semaglutide when compared to liraglutide: a hospital-based cross-sectional study

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is often undiagnosed until complications arise, and hence impacting quality of life and imposing economic burden. Treatment satisfaction studies are predominantly from developed nations, with scant data from low and lower-middle-income countries like India. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a specialized endocrinology clinic in India, comparing treatment satisfaction, adverse effects, costs and quality of life between patients using oral semaglutide and subcutaneous liraglutide for T2DM management. Data was collected via validated tools. Among 61 participants, semaglutide users reported higher treatment satisfaction, though not statistically significant, with more frequent adverse effects, predominantly gastrointestinal disorders. Liraglutide incurred significantly higher monthly costs compared to semaglutide. A negative impact on quality of life was noted, particularly in social domains. This study provides valuable insights into T2DM management in India, using validated tools to compare oral and parenteral therapies. Results indicated that oral semaglutide treatment leads to higher satisfaction and numerically lesser percentage of side effects, however the results were not statistically significant. Further investigations in diverse patient populations may provide valuable insights for optimizing diabetes management strategies in clinical practice.