Metformin is the most common initial type 2 diabetes (T2DM) treatment in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom, but second- and next-line treatments differ per country. Differences are especially seen regarding the uptake of newer incretin-based treatments. This was concluded in a study recently published in Clinical Therapeutics. In this study the similarities and differences in T2DM treatment patterns in daily practice in 5 European countries were analyzed. Data for this study were obtained from population-based electronic healthcare databases, among which the PHARMO Database Network in the Netherlands. Despite one European regulatory authority that centrally decides whether a medicine is authorized in Europe, actual T2DM treatment differs per country and reflects the differences between national guidelines.These data are of interest to EU healthcare commissioners and policy makers because they contain key information on sources of heterogeneity in the treatment of T2DM throughout the European Union member states.

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