OBJECTIVE: Approximately one third of @entity1 with @entity1897 ( @entity1897 ) also experience @entity9 , resulting in a significant health care burden, and reduced quality of life. @entity4481 , @entity4480 , and @entity20708 extended-release are approved for treating @entity6 peripheral @entity9 (DPNP), but many other medications are commonly used "off-label" with various degrees of success. We examined US health insurance claims to determine the current DPNP treatment patterns. METHODS: This retrospective analysis used the MarketScan claims database to identify adults with continuous health plan enrollment for 12 months pre- and postindex who were initially diagnosed with @entity1897 between 2006 and 2011 and were provided a prescription for a medication reported to be beneficial for treating DPNP (anticonvulsants, antidepressants, opioids, or topical agents). We evaluated the frequency and types of medication dispensed within 1 year after first diagnosis, treatment adherence, and patterns of treatment alteration. RESULTS: Overall, 12,074 @entity1 met inclusion criteria, with 66.6% initiating an anticonvulsant ( @entity2682 45.0%; @entity4481 21.6%), and 5.2% initiating @entity4480 . @entity1 commonly received less than the recommended dose of prescribed medication, and adherence was suboptimal for all treatments. It is estimated that up to 50% of @entity1 discontinued their initial treatment within 3 months of initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Newly diagnosed @entity1 with DPNP are most commonly prescribed anticonvulsants. Many @entity1 receive lower than recommended dosages, potentially resulting in poor outcomes. Initial treatments are frequently discontinued, indicating low levels of satisfaction and/or poor tolerability. New therapies with improved efficacy and better tolerability are urgently needed for DPNP.

Suboptimal Treatment of XXXX in the United States.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients'] @entity6 :: ('MESH:D003920', 'Disease') :: ['diabetic'] @entity2682 :: ('MESH:C040029', 'Chemical') :: ['gabapentin'] @entity1897 :: ('MESH:D010523', 'Disease') :: ['DPN', 'diabetic peripheral neuropathy'] @entity4480 :: ('MESH:C058218', 'Chemical') :: ['duloxetine'] @entity20708 :: ('MESH:C523979', 'Chemical') :: ['tapentadol'] @entity4481 :: ('MESH:C080245', 'Chemical') :: ['Pregabalin', 'pregabalin'] @entity9 :: ('MESH:D009437', 'Disease') :: ['neuropathic pain']
@entity9 :: (MESH:D009437,Disease) :: ['Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain']
