Hepato-preferential insulins: Is this the end, or the end of the beginning?

Insulin Therapy for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review of Innovative Treatment Strategies

The discovery of insulin was presented to the international medical community on May 3, 1922. Since then, insulin has become one of the most effective pharmacological agents used to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the initiation and intensification of insulin therapy is often delayed in people living with type 2 diabetes due to numerous challenges associated with daily subcutaneous administration. Reducing the frequency of injections, using insulin pens instead of syringes and vials, simplifying treatment regimens, or administering insulin through alternative routes may help improve adherence to and persistence with insulin therapy among people living with diabetes. As the world commemorates the centennial of the commercialization of insulin, the aims of this article are to provide an overview of insulin therapy and to summarize clinically significant findings from phase 3 clinical trials evaluating less frequent dosing of insulin and the non-injectable administration of insulin.

Lessons for modern insulin development

There have been many advances in insulin with a realistic possibility of mimicking nature to improve insulin replacement, with a view to achieving improved metabolic control. Lessons can be learnt from the evolution of insulin, insulin development, and new advances in technology. This may lead to fewer side effects of therapy resulting in a lower risk of hypoglycaemia and less weight gain, which could in turn could reduce long-term complications for people with diabetes.

Effects of hepato-preferential basal insulin peglispro on nuclear magnetic resonance biomarkers lipoprotein insulin resistance index and GlycA in patients with diabetes

AIM

To characterize the effects of hepato-preferential basal insulin peglispro (BIL) and insulin glargine on insulin resistance (lipoprotein insulin resistance index [LP-IR]) and inflammation (GlycA), and to explore the biological implications.

METHODS

This substudy included 847 patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) or Type 2 diabetes (T2D) in four cohorts of the BIL development program. LP-IR and GlycA were measured before and after insulin treatment. Correlations between LP-IR, GlycA, clinical parameters and liver biomarkers were assessed.

RESULTS

LP-IR and GlycA were higher in T2D than T1D. LP-IR increased in patients switched from basal insulins to BIL but not in insulin-naive patients. GlycA decreased in T2D patients treated with BIL and T1D patients treated with glargine.

CONCLUSION

These exploratory analyses help to characterize differences in biological effects between BIL and glargine treatment.

The effects of basal insulin peglispro vs. insulin glargine on lipoprotein particles by NMR and liver fat content by MRI in patients with diabetes

Background

In Phase 2/3 studies of basal insulin peglispro (BIL) compared to insulin glargine, patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes previously treated with insulin and randomized to BIL had an increase in serum triglycerides (TGs). To further understand lipoprotein changes, a lipid substudy which included liver fat content was designed to assess relationships among the measured variables for each diabetes cohort and compare the hepato-preferential insulin BIL to glargine.

Methods

In three cohorts of patients with diabetes (type 1, type 2 insulin naïve, and type 2 previously on insulin; n = 652), liver fat content (LFC) was determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood lipids were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at baseline, 26 and 52 weeks of treatment. Apolipoproteins, adiponectin, and other lipid parameters were also measured. Descriptive statistics were done, as well as correlation analyses to look for relationships among LFC and lipoproteins or other lipid measures.

Results

In patients with type 1 diabetes treated with BIL, but not glargine, small LDL and medium and large VLDL subclass concentrations increased from baseline. In patients with type 2 diabetes previously on insulin and treated with BIL, large VLDL concentration increased from baseline. In insulin naïve patients with type 2 diabetes treated with BIL, there were very few changes, while in those treated with glargine, small LDL and large VLDL decreased from baseline. Baseline LFC correlated significantly in one or more cohorts with baseline large VLDL, small LDL, VLDL size, and Apo C3. Changes in LFC by treatment showed generally weak correlations with lipoprotein changes, except for positive correlations with large VLDL and VLDL size. Adiponectin was higher in patients with type 1 diabetes compared to patients with type 2 diabetes, but decreased with treatment with both BIL and glargine.

Conclusions

The lipoprotein changes were in line with the observed changes in serum TGs; i.e., the cohorts experiencing increased TGs and LFC with BIL treatment had decreased LDL size and increased VLDL size. These data and analyses add to the currently available information on the metabolic effects of insulins in a very carefully characterized cohort of patients with diabetes.

Clinicaltrials.gov registration numbers and dates NCT01481779 (2011), NCT01435616 (2011), NCT01454284 (2011), NCT01582451 (2012)

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12933-017-0555-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.