Safety and efficacy of teplizumab in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

AimTo provide updated efficacy and safety information for teplizumab in the treatment of Stage 3 type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Materials and MethodsThe PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing teplizumab to placebo for T1DM that reported any of the following outcomes: (1) C‐peptide area under the curve (AUC); (2) glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels; (3) insulin requirements; and (4) adverse events. Heterogeneity was examined with I2 statistics. p values <0.05 were taken to indicate statistical significance. The continuous endpoints were compared through the pooled mean difference (MD) and binary endpoints were assessed using risk ratios, both with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager Web software.ResultsEight RCTs with 1052 patients (754 receiving teplizumab) were included. Teplizumab significantly increased the AUC of C‐peptide levels at 6 (MD 0.10 nmol/L, 95% CI 0.05, 0.16), 12 (MD 0.13 nmol/L, 95% CI 0.06, 0.20), 18 (MD 0.18 nmol/L, 95% CI 0.09, 0.27) and 24 months (MD 0.16 nmol/L, 95% CI 0.02, 0.31), significantly reduced HbA1c levels at 6 (MD −0.57%, 95% CI −1.07, −0.08) and 12 months (MD −0.31%, 95% CI −0.59, −0.02), and significantly reduced insulin requirements at 6 (MD −0.12 U/kg, 95% CI −0.16, −0.08), 12 (MD −0.11 U/kg, 95% CI −0.15, −0.07), 18 (MD −0.17 U/kg, 95% CI −0.26, −0.09) and 24 months (MD −0.11 U/kg, 95% CI −0.22, −0.01).ConclusionTeplizumab increases AUC of C‐peptide levels and decreases HbA1c levels and insulin use, without raising serious adverse event risk.