GLP-1 Agonists and Basal Insulin Best for Type 2 Diabetes

Taking a combination of glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) receptor agonists and basal insulin produces the best results for diabetes treatment by inducing weight loss, yielding better glycemic control, and keeping hypoglycemia at stable levels , according to a recent study.

For the meta-analysis, researchers evaluated data from 4300 patients with type 2 diabetes (throughout 15 different trials).  The participants were randomized into groups based on what they were prescribed: GLP-1 agonist and basal insulin, or another treatment regiment such as basal insulin with oral antidiabetes medication.
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After a mean duration of 25 weeks, the study showed that the combination of GLP-1 agonist with basal insulin significantly lowered levels of glycated hemoglobin (-0.44%) in comparison to other diabetes treatments.

While investigators found that the GLP-1 combination treatment group yielded greater weight loss, they noticed that hypoglycemia levels were similar in both randomized groups.

Overall, the investigators noted that the combination of GLP-1 agonist with basal insulin offers a therapeutic strategy that could significantly improve type 2 diabetes management in patients.

The complete study is published in the September issue of The Lancet.

-Michelle Canales

Reference:

Eng C, Kramer CK, Zinman B, et al. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist and basal insulin. Lancet. 2014 Sept [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61335-0.