Insulin detemir improves glycaemic control with less hypoglycaemia and no weight gain: 52-week data from the PREDICTIVE study in a cohort of French patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes

Reporting Severe Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes: Facts and Pitfalls

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To describe potential factors influencing reporting of severe hypoglycemia in adult patients with type 1 diabetes and to analyze their effect on reported rates of severe hypoglycemia.

RECENT FINDINGS

Reported rates of severe hypoglycemia defined as need for third party assistance vary between 0.3-3.0 events per patient-year in unselected cohorts, corresponding to a yearly prevalence range of 10-53%. When defined as need for parenteral therapy with glucose or glucagon or need for admission to an emergency unit or hospitalization, incidence and prevalence rates of severe hypoglycemia are 0.02-0.5 events per patient-year and 1-29%, respectively. When subjects with recurrent severe hypoglycemia in the past or suffering from impaired hypoglycemia awareness are excluded from participation in studies, lower rates are reported. Studies applying anonymous reporting or reporting by partners report higher rates of severe hypoglycemia. There is a large variation between studies reporting incidence and prevalence of severe hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes, mainly explained by definition of severity, methods of reporting, and patient selection. These findings call for consensus about hypoglycemia definition and reporting in future research.

Insulin Detemir in Combination with Oral Antidiabetic Drugs Improves Glycemic Control in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes in Near East Countries: Results from the Lebanese Subgroup

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of insulin detemir treatment as add-on therapy in a real-world setting of Lebanese insulin naïve persons, with type 2 diabetes poorly controlled on oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs).

METHODS

Our study was a prospective, observational study representing the Lebanese arm of the multinational prospective and observational study involving 2,155 persons across Near East countries, Lebanon, Pakistan, Israel and Jordan. Effectiveness endpoints were changes in HbA1c, fasting and post-prandial glucose (FPG, PPG) after 24 weeks of treatment with insulin detemir in eligible persons. Safety endpoints were number of hypoglycemic events, incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), serious ADRs, adverse events, and body weight change between baseline and end of treatment.

RESULTS

868 persons were included (mean age: 59.5 ± 10.4 years, men: 55.3%). Glycemic control improved with significant reduction in mean HbA1c from 9.7 ± 1.6% to 7.2 ± 1% (P<.0001). The percentage of persons who achieved the target of HbA1c<7% increased from .7% at baseline to 39% at week 24. Mean FPG decreased significantly from 213.7 ± 60.1 mg/dL to 120.3 ± 25.7 mg/dL (P<.001), and mean PPG from 271 ± 65.3 mg/dL to 158.1 ± 36.4 mg/dL (P<.0001). The rate of major hypoglycemic episodes decreased from .1498 at baseline to .0448 at week 24. Three adverse events but no ADR or serious ADR were reported. Body weight decreased from 80.4±13.2 Kg to 79.9±12.5 Kg (P<.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Initiating insulin detemir in a clinical health care setting among Lebanese with type 2 diabetes mellitus on OADs improves glycemic control with no increase in hypoglycemia, adverse events or weight compared with baseline.

Drug-related risk of severe hypoglycaemia in observational studies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to multiple complications, including severe hypoglycaemia events (SHEs). SHEs can impact a patient's quality of life and compliance and may directly result in additional costs to the health care system. The aim of this review was to evaluate the risk of severe hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 (T1) and 2 (T2) DM as observed in everyday clinical practice for various drug regimens.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of observational (retrospective or prospective) studies in the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases that covered at least 100 children or adults with T1/T2 DM. In T1 DM, basal-bolus/pre-mix insulin (human or analogue) and insulin pump were reviewed, and in T2 DM, basal-bolus/pre-mix insulin (human or analogue), oral antidiabetic drugs supported with basal insulin (human or analogue), sulfonylureas in monotherapy, and combined oral treatment were reviewed. In order to estimate SHE rates, we extracted data on the time horizon of the study, number of patients, number of SHEs, and number of patients experiencing at least one SHE. We used a random effects model to estimate the annual SHE rate. We considered the risk for other antidiabetic medications in T2 DM to be negligible and the results of our main review yielded no observational data for premixes in T1 DM so they were assessed based on relative rates taken from additional systematic reviews. The study, being a desk research, did not involve any human subjects (including human material or human data) and no ethical committee approval was asked for. For the same reason there was no need to collect informed consent for participation in the study.

RESULTS

We identified 76 observational studies encompassing 707,722.30 patient-years. The estimated annual SHE rate varied from 0.168 (95 % CI 0.123-0.237) for insulin pump up to 1.628 for biphasic human insulin in T1 DM patients, and from 0.0035 for oral antidiabetic drugs up to 0.554 (95 % CI 0.157-7.534) for basal-bolus with human insulin in T2 DM patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review indicates that SHE rates differ between patients depending on treatment regimen. However, SHEs are also driven by other factors. Proper modelling techniques are needed to use various types of information in published studies.

Effectiveness and Persistence with Liraglutide Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Routine Clinical Practice--EVIDENCE: A Prospective, 2-Year Follow-Up, Observational, Post-Marketing Study

Introduction

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the efficacy of liraglutide observed in randomized controlled trials translates into therapeutic benefits in the French population during routine clinical practice.

Methods

This observational, prospective, multicenter study included 3152 adults with type 2 diabetes who had recently started or were about to start liraglutide treatment. During 2 years of follow-up, an evaluation of the reasons for prescribing liraglutide, maintenance dose of liraglutide, changes in combined antidiabetic treatments, level of glycemic control, change in body weight and body mass index (BMI), patient satisfaction with diabetes treatment and safety of liraglutide were investigated. The primary study endpoint was the proportion of patients still receiving liraglutide and presenting with HbA_1c <7.0% after 2 years of follow-up.

Results

At the end of the study, 29.5% of patients maintained liraglutide treatment and reached the HbA_1c target. Mean (±SD) HbA_1c, fasting plasma glucose concentration, body weight and BMI were significantly reduced from baseline [8.46% (±1.46) to 7.44% (±1.20); 180 (±60) to 146 (±44) mg/dL; 95.2 (±20.0) to 91.1 (±19.6) kg; 34.0 (±7.2) to 32.5 (±6.9) kg/m²; respectively, all P < 0.0001]. Patient treatment satisfaction increased, with the mean diabetes treatment satisfaction questionnaire status version score increasing from 22.17 (±7.64) to 28.55 (±5.79), P < 0.0001. The main adverse event type was gastrointestinal, with a frequency of 10.9%, and the percentage of patients suffering ≥1 hypoglycemic episode decreased from 6.9% to 4.4%.

Conclusion

The results of the EVIDENCE study suggest that the effectiveness of liraglutide in real-world clinical practice is similar to that observed in randomized controlled trials.

Funding

Novo Nordisk A/S.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT01226966.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12325-015-0245-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Insulin detemir: a review of its use in the management of diabetes mellitus

Insulin detemir (Levemir®) is a long-acting insulin analogue indicated for use as basal insulin therapy in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus. The protracted action of insulin detemir is explained by increased self-association and reversible binding to albumin, which slows its systemic absorption from the injection site. In glucose-clamp studies, less within-patient variability in glucose-lowering effect was seen with insulin detemir than with neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin or insulin glargine in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes. The beneficial effect of insulin detemir on glycaemic control was shown in numerous randomized, open-label, multicentre trials, including when used as basal-bolus therapy in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes and as basal therapy in addition to oral antidiabetic drugs in insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes. In terms of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)).[primary endpoint in most trials], insulin detemir was generally at least as effective as NPH insulin, insulin glargine or insulin lispro protamine suspension in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes, and at least as effective as biphasic insulin aspart in patients with type 2 diabetes. Less within-patient variability in blood glucose was also generally seen with insulin detemir than with NPH insulin in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes. Significantly less weight gain was generally seen with insulin detemir than with NPH insulin in patients with type 1 diabetes or with insulin detemir than with NPH insulin, insulin glargine, insulin lispro protamine suspension or biphasic insulin aspart (in one study) in patients with type 2 diabetes (i.e. insulin detemir generally had a weight-sparing effect). The addition of insulin detemir to liraglutide plus metformin improved glycaemic control in insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes and inadequate glycaemic control, although a significantly greater reduction in bodyweight was seen in patients receiving liraglutide plus metformin than in those receiving add-on therapy with insulin detemir. Results of two trials in patients aged 2-16 or 6-17 years (and a subgroup analysis in children aged 2-5 years) indicate that a basal-bolus insulin regimen incorporating insulin detemir appears to be a suitable option for use in paediatric patients with type 1 diabetes. Less within-patient variation in self-measured fasting plasma glucose was seen with insulin detemir than with NPH insulin in one of the studies. Insulin detemir was noninferior to NPH insulin in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes in terms of the HbA(1c) value achieved at 36 gestational weeks. In addition, maternal and neonatal outcomes with insulin detemir were similar to those seen with NPH insulin. Subcutaneous insulin detemir was generally well tolerated in the treatment of patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes, including in paediatric patients and pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. The majority of adverse events, including serious adverse events, reported in insulin detemir recipients were not considered to be related to the study drug. Insulin detemir was generally associated with a significantly lower risk of nocturnal hypoglycaemia than NPH insulin in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes, particularly nocturnal minor hypoglycaemia. In conclusion, insulin detemir is a useful option for use as basal insulin therapy in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes.

Improved glycemic control with weight loss and a low risk of hypoglycemia with insulin detemir: insights from the Italian cohort of the PREDICTIVE study after 6-month observation in type 2 diabetic subjects

OBJECTIVE

PREDICTIVE (Predictable Results and Experience in Diabetes through Intensification and Control to Target: an International Variability Evaluation) is a large, multinational, open-label, prospective, observational study addressed to assess the efficacy and safety of insulin detemir in clinical practice. This paper reports 26 weeks of follow-up data, from 1298 type 2 diabetes patients from Italy.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In this observational study, the primary end point was the incidence of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs), including major hypoglycemia. Secondary end points were: hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), mean self-monitored fasting glucose, within-patient fasting glucose variability and body weight change.

RESULTS

Insulin detemir significantly improved glycemic control, with a decrease in mean HbA1c, fasting glucose and within-patient fasting glucose variability. Interestingly, the improvements in glycemic control occurred in association with a small, but significant reduction in weight. The safety results of this study showed that 26 weeks of treatment with insulin detemir was associated with a very low rate of SADRs (only 14 events), which mainly consisted of hypoglycemia (78%, of which 42% were major hypoglycemia).

CONCLUSIONS

Insulin detemir improves glycemic control, with low risk of hypoglycemia, no weight gain and an excellent safety profile; these data support the overall findings of PREDICTIVE.

Insulin analogues: how observational studies provide key insights into management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this commentary was to evaluate the current evidence regarding the use of synthetic insulin analogues in the 'real-world' clinic setting for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

Relevant publications were searched on PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials Google Scholar, NLM Gateway, Science Direct, Web of Science and OVID for the period of January 2007 to June 2010. Articles were included if they (a) provided specific study results on the use of insulin analogues in T2DM and (b) gave sufficiently clear methodology details to establish treatment strategies, diagnosis and diagnostic criteria using an observational study (OS) design.

RESULTS

Twenty one articles specifically addressing both type 2 diabetes management and the use of synthetic insulin analogues were identified. Results from recently published OS in patients with T2DM have shown, in the patient populations tested, the effective initiation, optimization and switch to use of insulin analogues in routine clinical settings (day-to-day common practice), with a good safety profile.

CONCLUSIONS

OS can provide clinicians with additional insights into the management of T2DM patients in their practices. However, the selection and initiation of insulin analogue regimens should be tailored to the individual patient and be one that the physician is comfortable using.

Chronic insulin therapy reduces adipose tissue macrophage content in LDL-receptor-deficient mice

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Insulin has anti-inflammatory effects in short-term experiments. However, the effects of chronic insulin administration on inflammation are unknown. We hypothesised that chronic insulin administration would beneficially alter adipose tissue inflammation and several circulating inflammatory markers.

METHODS

We administered two forms of long-acting insulin, insulin glargine (A21Gly,B31Arg,B32Arg human insulin) and insulin detemir (B29Lys[ε-tetradecanoyl],desB30 human insulin), to LDL-receptor-deficient mice. After 8 weeks on a diet that causes obesity, hyperglycaemia, adipose tissue macrophage accumulation and atherosclerosis, the mice received subcutaneous glargine, detemir or NaCl (control) for 12 weeks. Serum amyloid A (SAA) and serum amyloid P (SAP), metabolic variables, adipose tissue macrophages and aortic atherosclerosis were evaluated.

RESULTS

Weight gain was equivalent in all groups. The glycated haemoglobin level fell equivalently in both insulin-treated groups. Plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels, and hepatic triacylglycerol level significantly improved in the glargine compared with the detemir or control groups. Levels of mRNA expression for monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and F4/80, a macrophage marker, in adipose tissue were decreased only in the glargine group (p < 0.05). Visceral adipose tissue macrophage content decreased in both insulin groups (p < 0.05), whereas atherosclerosis decreased only in the glargine group. Circulating SAA and SAP did not decrease in either insulin-treated group, but IL-6 levels fell in the glargine-treated mice.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

While chronic insulin administration did not decrease SAA and SAP, administration of glargine but not detemir insulin improved dyslipidaemia, IL-6 levels and atherosclerosis, and both insulins reduced macrophage accumulation in visceral adipose tissue. Thus, chronic insulin therapy has beneficial tissue effects independent of circulating inflammatory markers in this murine model of diet-induced obesity and diabetes.