Could Liraglutide Improve Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Patients?

Adding liraglutide to insulin injections yielded improved glycemic control in patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study.

“Patients were considered eligible for inclusion if they had type 2 diabetes and inadequate glycaemic control (HbA1c concentrations ≥58 mmol/mol (7.5%) and ≤102 mmol/mol (11.5%)), a body mass index of 27.5-45 kg/m2,” explained the study’s authors.
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The study evaluated 124 participants who received subcutaneous liraglutide or placebo.

Overall, liraglutide was associated with a significant reduction of 16.9 mmol/mol (1.5%) in HbA1c versus 4.6 mmol/mol (0.4%) for placebo, difference −12.3 mmol/mol (95% confidence interval −15.8 to −8.8 mmol/mol; −1.13%, −1.45 to −0.81 mmol/mol).

Further, body weight was significantly reduced in participants taking liraglutide compared with those only taking a placebo (3.8 v 0.0 kg, difference −3.8, −4.9 to −2.8 kg).

The study showed that neither group experienced any severe hypoglycemic event during the study period. Researchers did not observe any significant differences in asymptomatic or symptomatic non-severe hypoglycaemia (<4.0 mml/L or <3.0 mmol/L) either.

While potential cardiovascular adverse events during a lengthened exposure to liraglutide still need to be evaluated, researchers noted that 32.8% of participants experienced nausea in the liraglutide group and 7.8% of the placebo group. In these groups, 5% and 7% respectively, manifested an adverse event.

“Adding liraglutide to multiple daily insulin injections in people with type 2 diabetes improves glycaemic control without an increased risk of hypoglycemia, reduces body weight, and enables patients to lower their insulin doses,” they concluded.

The complete study is published in the October issue of the British Medical Journal.

-Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:

Lind M, Hirsch, IB, Tuomilehto J, et al. Liraglutide in people treated for type 2 diabetes with multiple daily insulin injections: randomized clinical trial (MDI Liraglutide trial). Ann Intern Med. 2015 October [epub ahead of print] doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h5364.