The Scottish Medicines Consortium has accepted the combination product containing metformin 850mg and pioglitazone 15mg (Competact®) for use in Type II Diabetes on the NHS in Scotland.
The advice document states that the product is cost equivalent to separate preparations and may therefore offer a more convenient, if less flexible, dosing regimen.
Pragmatically, reducing the number of tablets taken will have a beneficial effect upon compliance. In practice, individuals who are likely to be prescribed this medicine are likely to be on several other agents including antiplatelets, statins and antihypertensives. Substituting this product may not have a dramatic impact in this instance.
Action: This product is an option when compliance is a known issue. Using concordant approach when initiating prescriptions to provide patients with information about the benefits and risks of treatment is also likely to aid future compliance.