Progress toward universal health coverage in Vietnam: Evidence on dispensing trends of diabetes medications from 2015 to 2021

Aims This study aims to investigate the trends in treatment coverage through dispensing diabetes medications in Vietnam from 2015 to 2021. The findings will serve to inform health policies to mitigate the health burden of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods We collected information on major antidiabetic medicines from General Department of Vietnam Customs and payments for antidiabetics via national health insurance. We applied ordinary least squares models, accounting for economic and health outcome characteristics, to estimate the association between the annual mass of medications and related factors. Results Nationally, the total mass/doses of all antidiabetic drugs increased rapidly from 2015 to 2021, based on both databases. Metformin was the most frequently prescribed medicine, with the total mass increasing nearly threefold over the study period. Gliclazide, a Sulfonylureas drug, ranked second. In the multivariate regression analysis, a one-unit increase in adults with diabetes (in 1000 s) was associated with 0·11 % (95 %CI = 0.0005; 0.0076) and 0·13 % (95 %CI = 0.0007; 0.0242) higher mass of Metformin and Glimepiride, respectively. Conclusion Policies changes were related to significant increase of diabetes medication dispenses in Vietnam. The high treatment coverage indicates impressive progress in achieving universal health coverage in Vietnam, meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).