Baseline Patient Profile of ErtuRamadan Study: A Real-world Evaluation of Ertugliflozin

A BSTRACT Background and Objectives: The ErtuRamadan study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ertugliflozin in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients observing Ramadan fasting. This article presents the baseline characteristics of enrolled participants. Methods: This real-life experience study was conducted across 15 diabetic care centers in Bangladesh. Adults with T2DM for at least 1 year and with a serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of <10% were approached for inclusion, and a total of 1555 patients were enrolled. The enrolled patients were stratified into two groups by the use of ertugliflozin, where the ertu group ( n = 803) consisted of patients receiving ertugliflozin 5 mg (single daily dose) for at least 3 months prior to Ramadan fasting, with or without other oral antidiabetic (OAD) agents. Nonertu group ( n = 752) included patients receiving any OADs other than ertugliflozin. All participants were assessed for glycemic status and other relevant information before the start of Ramadan fasting, followed by a post-Ramadan assessment. Results: The average age of participants was 50.14 ± 11.38 (standard deviation) years, with 45% aged 41–55 years and a female predominance (58.9%). Only 14.9% of participants had optimal glycemic control with a mean HbA1c of 8.10% ± 3%. The mean duration of T2DM was 6.48 ± 5.13 years. Of all, 64.6% of participants were obese, and 18.1% were overweight. Hypertension (66.8%) and dyslipidemia (65.1%) were the most common comorbidities. In addition, hyponatremia and hypokalemia were observed in 8.1% and 7.9% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: The pre-Ramadan glycemic status of the enrolled patients revealed that a significant number of those with T2DM exhibited poor glycemic control.