ObjectivesTo assess the effectiveness and safety of insulin glargine and lixisenatide (iGlarLixi) fixed-ratio combination on a cohort of Romanian adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).DesignOpen-label, 24-week, prospective cohort study.Setting65 secondary care diabetes centres in Romania.ParticipantsThe study included 901 adults with T2D suboptimally controlled with previous oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs)±basal insulin (BI) who initiated treatment with iGlarLixi upon the decision of the investigator. Major exclusion criteria were iGlarLixi contraindications and refusal to participate. 876 subjects received at least one dose of iGlarLixi (intention-to-treat/safety population).Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary endpoint was change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline to week 24 in the modified intention-to-treat population (study participants with HbA1c available at baseline and week 24). Secondary efficacy outcomes were percentage of participants reaching HbA1c targets and change in fasting plasma glucose (FPG).ResultsMean baseline HbA1c was 9.2% (SD 1.4) and FPG was 10.8 mmol/L (2.9). Mean HbA1c change was −1.3% (95% CI: −1.4% to −1.2%, p<0.0001) at week 24. HbA1c levels ≤6.5%, <7% and<7.5% at week 24 were achieved by 72 (8.9%), 183 (22.6%) and 342 (42.3%) participants, respectively. Mean FPG change was −3.1 mmol/L (95% CI: −3.3 to −2.8, p<0.001) at week 24. Mean body weight change was −1.6 kg (95% CI: −1.9 to −1.3, p<0.001) at 24 weeks. Mean iGlarLixi dose increased from 19.5 U (SD 7.7) and 30.1 U (10.0) to 30.2 U (8.9) (ratio 2/1 pen) and 45.0 U (11.6) (ratio 3/1 pen). Adverse events (AEs) were reported by 43 (4.9%) participants (18 (2.1%) gastrointestinal) with 4 (0.5%) reporting serious AEs. 13 (1.5%) participants reported at least one event of symptomatic hypoglycaemia, with one episode of severe hypoglycaemia reported.ConclusionsIn a real-world setting, 24-week treatment with iGlarLixi provided a significant reduction of HbA1c with body weight loss and low hypoglycaemia risk in T2D suboptimally controlled with OADs±BI treatment.

Background: Basal insulin is the first choice for insulin initiation in type 2 diabetes (T2DM), with the second generation of basal insulin analogues having a lower risk of hypoglycemia compared to the first generation of basal insulins. The aim of our study was to assess on a large cohort of insulin-naïve T2DM subjects the effectiveness and safety of insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300) in a real-life setting.Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective, non-interventional, 24 weeks, 3 visits (baseline, 3 and 6 months) trial performed in adult T2DM subjects not achieving glycemic target (HbA1c >7%) with prior oral or GLP-1 RA therapy. The study included 1,095 subjects (55.2% M/44.8% F) in 124 study sites.Mean (±SD) age was 61.1±8.5 years while mean duration of diabetes was 8.8±5.2 years. Mean BMI was 31.7±5.4 kg/m 2 with 91.2% being overweight or obese. Baseline diabetes treatment included metformin (88.4% of subjects), sulphonylureas (75.4%), DPP-4i (16.7%) and GLP-1 RAs (8%). Comparison between quantitative variables was made with the paired sample t test.Results: Mean HbA1c at baseline was 9.8%±1.7% with a mean fasting plasma glucose (FBG) of 231.5±67.4 mg/dL. Mean HbA1c decreased to 7.7%±1.2% at 6 months with a mean change from baseline of −2.1% (P<0.001). Overall, 30.7% of subjects reached the HbA1c target of 7%. Final mean dose of Gla-300 was 0.4 IU/kg/day. Mean weight gain was 0.4 kg over 6 months. Adverse events (AEs) were reported by 11.1% of subjects with 2.3% reporting serious adverse events (SAEs). Overall, 4.4% of subjects reporting at least one event of symptomatic or confirmed hypoglycemia. Only 7 episodes of nocturnal and one of severe hypoglycemia were reported. Conclusions:In conclusion, a significant 2.1% decrease of HbA1c was recorded after 6 months of treatment with Gla-300 with no unexpected safety signals, low risk of hypoglycemia and modest weight gain.

Background: Basal-EDUC-RO Study evaluated the impact of structured education provided at the initiation of basal insulin therapy on glycaemic control in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, randomized, parallel group study (ACTRN12616001273471) which enrolled 711 patients initiated on insulin therapy with a basal insulin analogue. The subjects were randomized (1:1) to either structured education (structured education group; 353 patients) or standard education (control group; 358 patients) and followed for 6 months. Results: The median HbA1c levels at 6 months after start of basal insulin were significantly lower in the structured education group than in the control group (7.2% vs. 7.4%, p <0.001). In the structured education group, 49.4% of subjects achieved HbA1c targets vs. 34.4% in the control group, p <0.001. Number of documented symptomatic hypoglycemic episodes (all and nocturnal) was lower in the intervention group (139 vs. 217 for all episodes and 13 vs. 26 for nocturnal hypoglycemia) but with no statistical significance. No effect of intervention was seen on body weight, but there was no weight gain in any of the groups at 6 months. Conclusions: A structured diabetes education program delivered to patients with T2D started on a basal insulin analogue significantly improved glucose control at 6 months compared to a less intense education strategy. The positive effect was mainly seen on the percentage of patients who achieved individualized HbA1c pre-set targets, with a non-significant reduction in episodes of overall and nocturnal documented symptomatic hypoglycemia.