Ultra-long lasting insulin degludec has been found to reduce rates of nocturnal hypoglycaemia by 25 per cent, compared to insulin glagine, according to a new report published in The Lancet.
Two studies on a total of 1,635 participants investigated insulin degludec compared to insulin glargine in a basal-bolus regimen in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Both studies were ‘treat-to-target’ studies, meaning patients were given insulin in doses that would allow them to achieve a target fasting glucose level. As a result, patients successfully achieved comparable improvements in glucose control in both studies, allowing researchers to closely determine the differences in the rates of hypoglycaemia.
The ultra-long-acting insulin degludec is an investigational compound from Novo Nordisk.
“Hypoglycaemia is a major concern for both people with diabetes and their physicians and can often lead to under- and sub-optimal treatment,” said Alan Garber MD, Professor, Departments of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA and lead author of one of the papers published in The Lancet. “Of particular concern are hypoglycaemic events that occur in the overnight hours during sleep when patients are unaware and therefore unable to take measures to reverse it. Newer insulins such as insulin degludec may be able to mitigate this concern.”
In type 2 patients, a significantly lower rate of overall hypoglycaemic events was seen in the insulin degludec group, compared to those taking insulin glargine; in type 1 diabetes this figure was comparable between the two treatment arms. The rate of hypoglycaemia at night was 25 per cent lower in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes for patients treated with insulin degludec, compared to those taking insulin glargine.
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer at Novo Nordisk, said: “Novo Nordisk is very excited about the promise of insulin degludec as the ultra-long acting basal insulin which offers glycaemic control with a reduced risk of hypoglycaemia in people with diabetes using basal insulin analogues.”
More information: The complete studies can be found in issue 379 of The Lancet and also online at:
www.thelancet.com