Real-World Effectiveness of Liraglutide Versus Dulaglutide In Japanese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Real-world data comparing the effectiveness of various glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are limited. We investigated the clinical effectiveness of liraglutide and dulaglutide in Japanese T2DM in a real-world setting. This retrospective study included 179 patients with T2DM who were treated with GLP-1 RA for at least 12 months (liraglutide, n=97; dulaglutide, n=82). Changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at the end of 12-month treatment were evaluated. Compared with the liraglutide group, the dulaglutide group included significantly older patients with longer disease duration, lower body mass index, and higher proportion of dementia cases. HbA1c was significantly lower at 12 months in both groups (liraglutide, 8.9 to 7.6%; dulaglutide, 8.8 to 7.5%). Hierarchical regression analysis showed no differences in the extent of changes in HbA1c at 12 months between the two agents, after adjustment for differences in patient characteristics and drug adjustments during the 12-month period. High baseline HbA1c, the addition of GLP-1 RA treatment, and in-hospital initiation of GLP-1 RA treatment were identified as significant contributing factors to HbA1c reduction. Although patient characteristics were different between the two treatment groups, comparable HbA1c-lowering effects were noted in real-world settings.