Efficacy and Safety of Once-Weekly Efpeglenatide Monotherapy Versus Placebo in Type 2 Diabetes: The AMPLITUDE-M Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluating the impact of efpeglenatide on cardiometabolic and safety outcomes in individuals with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Efpeglenatide, a novel GLP-1 receptor agonist, has shown promise in improving glycemic control and inducing weight loss in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This meta-analysis assessed its therapeutic potential and safety profile.

Methods

A literature search was conducted on PubMed, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Central from inception until September 2023. We selected patients with T2DM and identified and compared those receiving efpeglenatide to placebo. Outcomes assessed included fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, body weight, BMI, and cardiometabolic parameters. Data were analyzed using a random-effects model, with results presented as mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios (RR) for safety analysis, along with their respective 95% confidence intervals. Quality assessment was conducted using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Results

We included 11 studies in our analysis. Efpeglenatide demonstrated significant reductions in FPG (MD = -1.53 mmol/L, 95% CI = [-2.86, -0.66], p < 0.01), HbA1c (MD = -0.84, 95% CI= [-1.08, -0.60], p < 0.01), body weight (MD = -2.24 kg, 95% CI = [-4.20, -2.00], p < 0.01), and BMI (MD = -1.61 kg/m2, 95% CI= [-2.12, -1.09], p < 0.01). However, efpeglenatide was associated with a moderate increase in the risk of gastrointestinal adverse events, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. There was a non-significant elevated risk of hypoglycemia.

Conclusions

Efpeglenatide significantly improves glycemic outcomes and promotes weight loss in individuals with diabetes. However, it is associated with moderate adverse effects related to the gastrointestinal system. Thus, further trials are warranted to comprehensively assess its safety and efficacy to derive a robust conclusion.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-024-01409-3.

GLP-1 receptor agonists and myocardial metabolism in atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Many medical conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, and heart failure (HF), increase the risk for AF. Cardiomyocytes have unique metabolic characteristics to maintain adenosine triphosphate production. Significant changes occur in myocardial metabolism in AF. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been used to control blood glucose fluctuations and weight in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. GLP-1RAs have also been shown to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, autonomic nervous system modulation, and mitochondrial function. This article reviews the changes in metabolic characteristics in cardiomyocytes in AF. Although the clinical trial outcomes are unsatisfactory, the findings demonstrate that GLP-1 RAs can improve myocardial metabolism in the presence of various risk factors, lowering the incidence of AF.

Research Advances in Fusion Protein-Based Drugs for Diabetes Treatment

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, resulting in multi-organ dysfunction and various complications. Fusion proteins can form multifunctional complexes by combining the target proteins with partner proteins. It has significant advantages in improving the performance of the target proteins, extending their biological half-life, and enhancing patient drug compliance. Fusion protein-based drugs have emerged as promising new drugs in diabetes therapeutics. However, there has not been a systematic review of fusion protein-based drugs for diabetes therapeutics. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive review of published literature on diabetic fusion protein-based drugs for diabetes, with a primary focus on immunoglobulin G (IgG) fragment crystallizable (Fc) region, albumin, and transferrin (TF). This review aims to provide a reference for the subsequent development and clinical application of fusion protein-based drugs in diabetes therapeutics.

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist and Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) exhibit glucose-lowering, weight-reducing, and blood pressure-lowering effects. Nevertheless, a debate exists concerning the association between GLP-1RA treatment and the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain the risk of DR in patients with T2DM undergoing GLP-1RA treatment, we conducted a meta-analysis utilizing data derived from randomized placebo-controlled studies (RCTs).

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE. We focused on RCTs involving the use of GLP-1RAs in patients with T2DM. Utilizing R software, we compared the risk of DR among T2DM patients undergoing GLP-1RA treatment. The Cochrane risk of bias method was employed to assess the research quality.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis incorporated data from 20 RCTs, encompassing a total of 24,832 T2DM patients. Across all included trials, randomization to GLP-1 RA treatment did not demonstrate an increased risk of DR (odds ratio = 1.17; 95% CI 0.98-1.39). Furthermore, no significant heterogeneity or publication bias was detected in the analysis.

CONCLUSION

The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that the administration of GLP-1 RA is not associated with an increased risk of DR. PROSPERO REGISTRATION IDENTIFIER: CRD42023413199.

Safety and Efficacy of Efpeglenatide in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of efpeglenatide in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study was reported according to the 2020 guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched by two authors independently, with no restriction on language and year of publication, using the following key terms: (efpeglenatide) OR (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) AND (type 2 diabetes) OR (diabetes) OR (T2DM) AND (HbA1c) OR (FSG) OR (fasting serum glucose) OR (weight) OR (bodyweight) OR (adverse events) OR (safety) OR (AE). Outcomes assessed in this meta-analysis included change in hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) from baseline (%), change in weight from baseline (Kg), and change in fasting serum glucose (FSG) from baselines. For the safety analysis, we assessed total adverse events and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events. A total of four studies fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis, encompassing six randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Compared with a control group, efpeglenatide lowered the HbA1c (mean difference (MD): -0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.01 to -0.60), body weight (MD: -1.15, 95% CI: -1.82 to -0.47), and FSG (MD: -0.98, 95% CI: -1.19 to -0.77). However, the risk of GI-related adverse events was significantly higher in the efpeglenatide group compared to the control group.

The relationship between the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists and the incidence of respiratory illness: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

AIM

We aimed to assess the association between the use of Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and the risk of 12 respiratory diseases in patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or overweight.

METHOD

The PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched from the establishment of the database to December 24, 2022. Dichotomous outcomes were analyzed using RR and 95% CI calculated from fixed-effects models.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight RCTs were ultimately included for analysis, involving a total of 77,485 participants. Compared to controls, patients with GLP-1RAs have a 14% lower risk of respiratory disease (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.81-0.93 p < 0.0001), with Semaglutid (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.97, p = 0.02), Liraglutide (RR 0.86. 95% CI 0.75-0.98, p = 0.03), Dulaglutide (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.96, p = 0.02), Albiglutide (RR 0.93,95% CI 0.79-1.10, p = 0.40), Exenatide (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.74-1.18, p = 0.55), Lixisenatide (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.62-1.12, p = 0.22), and Efpeglenatide (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.46-1.24, p = 0.27). Semaglutide, Liraglutide and Dulaglutide reduce the risk of respiratory diseases by 18%, 14% and 18%, respectively.Trial duration, control type, and indication were not associated with the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on overall respiratory disease. Among secondary outcomes, the risk of Pulmonary edema (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-0.98, p = 0.04), and Bronchitis (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74-1.00, p = 0.04) was reduced.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, GLP-1RAs were linked to a lower risk of overall respiratory diseases, especially Pulmonary edema and Bronchitis. In the future, physicians should pay attention to the relationship between GLP-1 RA and the risk of respiratory diseases and evaluate the efficacy of GLP-1RAs in the primary and secondary prevention of respiratory diseases. Trial registration CRD42023396138.

Intensified glycemic control by HbA1c for patients with coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes: a review of findings and conclusions

The occurrence and development of coronary heart disease (CHD) are closely linked to fluctuations in blood glucose levels. While the efficacy of intensified treatment guided by HbA1c levels remains uncertain for individuals with diabetes and CHD, this review summarizes the findings and conclusions regarding HbA1c in the context of CHD. Our review showed a curvilinear correlation between regulated level of HbA1c and therapeutic effectiveness of intensified glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. It is necessary to optimize the dynamic monitoring indicators of HbA1c, combine genetic profiles, haptoglobin phenotypes for example and select more suitable hypoglycemic drugs to establish more appropriate glucose-controlling guideline for patients with CHD at different stage of diabetes.

CVOT Summit 2022 Report: new cardiovascular, kidney, and glycemic outcomes

The 8th Cardiovascular Outcome Trial (CVOT) Summit on Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Glycemic Outcomes was held virtually on November 10-12, 2022. Following the tradition of previous summits, this reference congress served as a platform for in-depth discussion and exchange on recently completed outcomes trials as well as key trials important to the cardiovascular (CV) field. This year's focus was on the results of the DELIVER, EMPA-KIDNEY and SURMOUNT-1 trials and their implications for the treatment of heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and obesity with glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. A broad audience of primary care physicians, diabetologists, endocrinologists, cardiologists, and nephrologists participated online in discussions on new consensus recommendations and guideline updates on type 2 diabetes (T2D) and CKD management, overcoming clinical inertia, glycemic markers, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), novel insulin preparations, combination therapy, and reclassification of T2D. The impact of cardiovascular outcomes on the design of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) trials, as well as the impact of real-world evidence (RWE) studies on the confirmation of CVOT outcomes and clinical trial design, were also intensively discussed. The 9th Cardiovascular Outcome Trial Summit will be held virtually on November 23-24, 2023 ( http://www.cvot.org ).