OBJECTIVES:  In patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), metformin is the standard first-line therapy. Unfortunately, many patients are unable to control their HbA on metformin alone, and progress to a second-line therapy. Physicians’ drug selection in the second-line is typically based on patient characteristics and comorbidities. However, market access and reimbursement restrictions may limit patient access to a physician’s preferred therapy, particularly for premium-priced branded therapies. By comparing physicians’ actual prescribing practices with their expressed preferences, this research investigates how influential market access restrictions and pricing can be on actual clinical practice. METHODS: