The association of basal insulin treatment versus standard care with outcomes in anti-GAD positive and negative subjects: A post-hoc analysis of the ORIGIN trial

Response to insulin glargine 100 U/mL treatment in newly-defined subgroups of type 2 diabetes: Post hoc pooled analysis of insulin-naïve participants from nine randomised clinical trials

AIMS

To assess insulin glargine 100 U/mL (IGlar-100) treatment outcomes according to newly-defined subgroups of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

Insulin-naïve T2DM participants (n = 2684) from nine randomised clinical trials initiating IGlar-100 were pooled and assigned to subgroups "Mild Age-Related Diabetes (MARD)", "Mild Obesity Diabetes (MOD)", "Severe Insulin Resistant Diabetes (SIRD)", and "Severe Insulin Deficient Diabetes (SIDD)", according to age at onset of diabetes, baseline HbA1c, BMI, and fasting C-peptide using sex-specific nearest centroid approach. HbA1c, FPG, hypoglycemia, insulin dose, and body weight were analysed at baseline and 24 weeks.

RESULTS

Subgroup distribution was MARD 15.3 % (n = 411), MOD 39.8 % (n = 1067), SIRD 10.5 % (n = 283), SIDD 34.4 % (n = 923). From baseline HbA1c 8.0-9.6% adjusted least square mean reductions after 24 weeks were similar between subgroups (1.4-1.5 %). SIDD was less likely to achieve HbA1c < 7.0 % (OR: 0.40 [0.29, 0.55]) than MARD. While the final IGlar-100 dose (0.36 U/kg) in MARD was lower than in other subgroups (0.46-0.50 U/kg), it had the highest hypoglycemia risk. SIRD had lowest hypoglycemia risk and SIDD exhibited greatest body weight gain.

CONCLUSIONS

IGlar-100 lowered hyperglycemia similarly in all T2DM subgroups, but level of glycemic control, insulin dose, and hypoglycemia risk differed between subgroups.

Distribution and characteristics of newly-defined subgroups of type 2 diabetes in randomised clinical trials: Post hoc cluster assignment analysis of over 12,000 study participants

AIMS

Newly-defined subgroups of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been reported from real-world cohorts but not in detail from randomised clinical trials (RCTs).

METHODS

T2DM participants, uncontrolled on different pre-study therapies (n = 12.738; 82 % Caucasian; 44 % with diabetes duration > 10 years) from 14 RCTs, were assigned to new subgroups according to age at onset of diabetes, HbA1c, BMI, and fasting C-peptide using the nearest centroid approach. Subgroup distribution, characteristics and influencing factors were analysed.

RESULTS

In both, pooled and single RCTs, "mild-obesity related diabetes" predominated (45 %) with mean BMI of 35 kg/m². "Severe insulin-resistant diabetes" was found least often (4.6 %) and prevalence of "mild age-related diabetes" (23.9 %) was mainly influenced by age at onset of diabetes and age cut-offs. Subgroup characteristics were widely comparable to those from real-world cohorts, but all subgroups showed higher frequencies of diabetes-related complications which were associated with longer diabetes duration. A high proportion of "severe insulin-deficient diabetes" (25.4 %) was identified with poor pre-study glycaemic control.

CONCLUSIONS

Classification of RCT participants into newly-defined diabetes subgroups revealed the existence of a heterogeneous population of T2DM. For future RCTs, subgroup-based randomisation of T2DM will better define the target population and relevance of the outcomes by avoiding clinical heterogeneity.

Trends in basal insulin prescribing in older adults with chronic kidney disease in Ontario, Canada: A population-based analysis from 2010 to 2020

AIM

To examine trends in basal insulin prescribing in older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a population-based study of adults aged 66 years or older with treated diabetes from 1 January 2010 to 30 September 2020 in Ontario, Canada. We examined prevalent and incident prescriptions for human NPH, Levemir, glargine-100, Basaglar, glargine-300, and degludec insulin over 43 study intervals. We present trends in those with CKD, and in a subgroup, by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). To provide context for prescribing, we provide demographics, co-morbidities, and the healthcare utilization of included patients.

RESULTS

In CKD, use of basal insulin was about 2-fold higher than in the general treated diabetes cohort. Prescriptions for NPH declined over time, while prescriptions for Levemir and glargine-100 increased until 2018 then decreased. Following drug formulary approval (September 2018), prescriptions for glargine-300 and degludec increased substantially. Incident prescriptions for basal insulin in CKD declined over time; however, in those with an eGFR of less than 30 ml/min/1.73m² , rates remained stable. In recent years, rates of degludec and glargine-300 have rivalled glargine-100.

CONCLUSIONS

In an era of new oral and injectable diabetes medications, the use of basal insulin has declined in older adults with CKD. However, in those with more advanced CKD, basal insulin, particularly newer analogues, remain a mainstay treatment.

Validation of the classification for type 2 diabetes into five subgroups: a report from the ORIGIN trial

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Data analyses from Swedish individuals with newly diagnosed diabetes have suggested that diabetes could be classified into five subtypes that differ with respect to the progression of dysglycaemia and the incidence of diabetes consequences. We assessed this classification in a multiethnic cohort of participants with established and newly diagnosed diabetes, randomly allocated to insulin glargine vs standard care.

METHODS

In total, 7017 participants from the Outcome Reduction with Initial Glargine Intervention (ORIGIN) trial were assigned to the five predefined diabetes subtypes (namely, severe auto-immune diabetes, severe insulin-deficient diabetes, severe insulin-resistant diabetes, mild obesity-related diabetes, mild age-related diabetes) based on the age at diabetes diagnosis, BMI, HbA_1c, fasting C-peptide levels and the presence of glutamate decarboxylase antibodies at baseline. Differences between diabetes subtypes in cardiovascular and renal outcomes were investigated using Cox regression models for a median follow-up of 6.2 years. We also compared the effect of glargine vs standard care on hyperglycaemia, defined by having a mean post-randomisation HbA_1c ≥6.5%, between subtypes.

RESULTS

The five diabetes subtypes were replicated in the ORIGIN trial and exhibited similar baseline characteristics in Europeans and Latin Americans, compared with the initially described clusters in the Swedish cohort. We confirmed differences in renal outcomes, with a higher incidence of events in the severe insulin-resistant diabetes subtype compared with the mild age-related diabetes subtype (i.e., chronic kidney disease stage 3A: HR 1.49 [95% CI 1.31, 1.71]; stage 3B: HR 2.25 [1.82, 2.78]; macroalbuminuria: HR 1.56 [1.22, 1.99]). No differences were observed in the incidence of retinopathy and cardiovascular diseases after adjusting for multiple hypothesis testing. Diabetes subtypes also differed in glycaemic response to glargine, with a particular benefit of receiving glargine (vs standard care) in the severe insulin-deficient diabetes subtype compared with the mild age-related diabetes subtype, with a decreased occurrence of hyperglycaemia by 13% (OR 1.36 [1.30, 1.41] on glargine; OR 1.49 [1.43, 1.57] on standard care; p for interaction subtype × intervention = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Cluster analysis enabled the characterisation of five subtypes of diabetes in a multiethnic cohort. Both the incidence of renal outcomes and the response to insulin varied between diabetes subtypes. These findings reinforce the clinical utility of applying precision medicine to predict comorbidities and treatment responses in individuals with diabetes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ORIGIN trial, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00069784.

Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) and its Metabolic Characteristics among Yemeni Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

PURPOSE

Although there is ample data about the prevalence of diabetes in the Middle East, little is known about the prevalence and features of autoimmune diabetes in this region. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and metabolic characteristics of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) amongst Yemeni Type 2 DM patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this cross-section study, 270 Type 2 DM patients aged 30-70 years were recruited from the National Diabetes Center, Al-Thowra Hospital, Sana'a city, during the period November 2015 to August 2016. All Type 2 DM patients were diagnosed within 5 years and who did not require insulin for a minimum of 6 months following diagnosis. Levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) were measured in all patients, and LADA was diagnosed in patients testing positive for anti-GAD antibodies. Further, biochemical analysis was carried out including fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin, and lipid profile. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and β-cell function (HOMA-β) were calculated.

RESULTS

The prevalence of LADA, as defined by GADA-positive, amongst patient with Type 2 DM was 4.4%; with no significant difference in the prevalence between male (5.8%) and female (3.4%). LADA patients were younger than GADA-negative Type 2 DM. Body mass index, waist circumference, insulin and HOMA-β were significantly lower in LADA patients, whereas triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL-c and HOMA-IR were non-significantly lower with respect to Type 2 DM. In contrast, FBG and HbA1c were significantly higher in LADA patients. Moreover, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly lower in LADA as compared with Type 2 DM. Only 2 out of the 12 GADA-positive (16.7%) were on insulin treatment at the time of the study.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of LADA in Yemeni Type 2 DM is lower than many of those reported in the literature, with no gender preference. Metabolic syndrome was significantly lower in LADA patients. Patients with LADA share insulin resistance with Type 2 DM but display a more severe defect in β-cell function, thus highlighting the importance of an early diagnosis of LADA, to correctly treat LADA patients, allowing safe and effective therapies.