Aim: To compare safety (immunogenicity) and efficacy of a biosimilar insulin GP-Lis25 and a reference insulin Ly-Lis25 (Humalog Mix 25) in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) patients. Materials & methods: This randomized open-label, 26-week clinical trial enrolled 210 T2D patients, randomized 1:1 to twice-daily GP-Lis25 or Ly-Lis25. The primary end point was immune response at 26th week. Noninferiority margin for HbA1c was 0.4%. Results: Immune response frequency was similar in GP-Lis25 and Ly-Lis25 groups both at week 12 (p = 0.651) and 26 (p = 0.164). The difference of HbA1c change at week 26 was (95% CI) 0.01 (-0.27–0.28)%. Fasting plasma glucose, seven-point glucose profile and insulin dose were similar between groups. Safety did not differ between groups. Conclusion: GP-Lis25 and Ly-Lis25 demonstrated similar safety and efficacy. ClincalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04023344 .

This study includes modeling and simulation of insulin aspart pharmacokinetics (PK). The authors used PK data of biosimilar insulins—insulin aspart and biphasic insulin aspart 30/70—to develop a predictive population PK model for the insulins. The model was built via Monolix software, taking into account the weight‐based dosing and the dose and body‐weight effects on the parameters. The model‐based simulations were performed using the R package mlxR for various administered doses and various ratios of insulin aspart forms for a better understanding of the insulin behavior. The optimal model was a 1‐compartment model with a combination of zero‐ and first‐order absorptions, with absorption lag for the soluble form of insulin aspart and first‐order absorption for the insulin aspart protamine suspension. The assumption of identical behavior of 2 insulins at the distribution and elimination phases was made. The developed PK model was fitted successfully to the experimental data, and all fitted parameters displayed a moderate coefficient of variation. The PK model allows us to predict PK profiles for various doses and formulations of insulin aspart and can be used to improve the accuracy, safety, and ethics of novel clinical trials of insulin.

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of insulin Aspart-Mix biosimilar candidate GP40081 (GP-Asp30) compared with NovoMix® 30 (NN-Asp30). Materials & methods: In a randomized open-label, active-controlled, 26-week non-inferiority clinical trial 264 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomized 1:1 to receive once-daily GP-Asp30 or NN-Asp30. The primary safety end point was the immune response rate. Efficacy outcomes were a mean change in HbA1c (primary), frequency of achieving a glycemic g fasting plasma glucose levels, 7-point glucose profiles, and insulin doses. Results: The immune response developed in 10/126 (8%) participants in the GP-Asp30 group and in 10/125 (8%) participants in the NN-Asp30 group (p = 1.000). The mean difference in HbA1c change between groups was 0.12 (95%CI [-0.14, 0.38]). Other secondary efficacy and safety outcomes weren't statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion: GP-Asp30 demonstrated similar safety and efficacy compared with NN-Asp30 and may be considered a biosimilar insulin.

This paper presents an analysis of data from a comparative study of biosimilarity in terms of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in healthy volunteers using a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp for reference and test biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30). As a result of the study, one of the secondary pharmacodynamic (PD) endpoints did not satisfy the classical criterion of 80%-125% (the lower limit for PD parameter area under the glucose infusion rate-time curve [AUC GIR 0−t ] turned out to be 79.5%). The main hypothesis explaining this result is that the sample size is insufficient to conduct a PD test with 90% statistical power, since the sample size has been calculated based on the coefficient of variation (CV) of pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters. To test this hypothesis, population PKPD (popPKPD) modeling and subsequent simulations of the required number of PD profiles were used. Two popPKPD models were constructed (a one-compartment double simultaneous absorption model for PK and an effect compartment E max model for PD) to describe the PKPD data of reference and test insulins. As a result, using real data along with model-based simulation data, a biosimilarity test for PD was performed, and the lower limit for AUC GIR 0−t became 82.6%, while the CV decreased from 31.7% to 24.1%. Thus, popPKPD modeling and simulations have been shown to be effective in interpreting and supporting the results of clinical biosimilarity trials.