Type 2 diabetes treatment and outcomes worldwide: A short review of the DISCOVER study programme

The global burden of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing, indicating an urgent need for improved disease prevention and management strategies. Contemporary, global, real-world data, collected in a consistent way, on the characteristics, treatment and outcomes of people with T2D are lacking, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where disease burden is increasing most rapidly. The DISCOVER study programme (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT02322762 and NCT02226822) is a global, prospective, 3-year programme of observational research, which has been designed to fill this knowledge gap. DISCOVER is being conducted in 38 countries across six continents, including several lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries where patients have rarely or never been studied previously. In total, 15 992 people with T2D who had initiated a second-line glucose-lowering therapy have been recruited. Data being collected include information on demographics, clinical and treatment characteristics, socio-economic status, clinical outcomes and patient-reported outcomes. Findings from DISCOVER will provide unique insights into current patterns of T2D care worldwide, which should contribute to informing clinical guidelines and health policy, and may help to improve patient care.