Efficacy and safety comparison between liraglutide as add-on therapy to insulin and insulin dose-increase in Chinese subjects with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and abdominal obesity

• Published in: Cardiovascular diabetology 2012-11, Vol.11 (1), p.142-142, Article 142
• Main Authors: Li, Chun-jun, Li, Jing, Zhang, Qiu-mei, Lv, Lin, Chen, Rui, Lv, Chun-feng, Yu, Pei, Yu, De-min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominal obesity; Adult; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Biomarkers - blood; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body mass index; Cardiovascular disease; China - epidemiology; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - diagnosis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - ethnology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 - administration & dosage; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 - adverse effects; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 - analogs & derivatives; Glycated Hemoglobin A - metabolism; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemia - blood; Hypoglycemia - chemically induced; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Hypoglycemic Agents - adverse effects; Insulin; Insulin - administration & dosage; Insulin - adverse effects; Insulin therapy; Liraglutide; Male; Metabolic disorders; Middle Aged; Obesity; Obesity, Abdominal - blood; Obesity, Abdominal - diagnosis; Obesity, Abdominal - ethnology; Original Investigation; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Waist Circumference; Weight control; Weight Gain - drug effects; Weight reduction
• ISSN: 1475-2840; 1475-2840
• DOI: 10.1186/1475-2840-11-142

To assess the efficacy and safety of adding liraglutide to established insulin therapy in poorly controlled Chinese subjects with type 2 diabetes and abdominal obesity compared with increasing insulin dose. A 12-week, randomized, parallel-group study was carried out. A total of 84 patients completed the trial who had been randomly assigned to either the liraglutide-added group or the insulin-increasing group while continuing current insulin based treatment. Insulin dose was reduced by 0-30% upon the initiation of liraglutide. Insulin doses were subsequently adjusted to optimized glycemic control. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values, blood glucose, total daily insulin dose, body weight, waist circumference, and the number of hypoglycemic events and adverse events were evaluated. At the end of study, the mean reduction in HbA1c between the liraglutide-added group and the insulin-increasing group was not significantly different (1.9% vs. 1.77%, p>0.05). However, the percentage of subjects reaching the composite endpoint of HbA1c ≤ 7.0% with no weight gain and no hypoglycemia, was significantly higher in the liraglutide-added group than in the insulin-increasing group (67% vs. 19%, p