Clinical Considerations When Initiating and Titrating Insulin Degludec/Liraglutide (IDegLira) in People with Type 2 Diabetes

Stewart Harris*, Martin J. Abrahamson, Antonio Ceriello, Guillaume Charpentier, Marc Evans, Roger Lehmann, Andreas Liebl, Sultan Linjawi, Richard I.G. Holt, Nóra Hosszúfalusi, Guy Rutten, Tina Vilsbøll

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
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Abstract

Therapeutic inertia is a substantial obstacle to the initiation of insulin therapy in people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D). This effect has in part been perpetuated by concerns over the impact of a burdensome regimen and the increased risk of hypoglycemia and body weight gain often associated with insulin use. An effective, yet simple, less burdensome regimen with a lower risk of body weight gain and hypoglycemia compared with an insulin-only regimen, may help to address these concerns more effectively. We review the available clinical and real-world data on IDegLira, a once-daily, injectable, fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec (degludec) and the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) liraglutide, in people with T2D. Evidence from the comprehensive DUAL clinical trial program suggests an advantage of IDegLira over traditional insulin therapies in a number of clinical outcomes, including maintenance of glycemic control, achievement of glycemic targets, reducing the risk of hypoglycemia, and body weight loss. These findings were demonstrated in participants with T2D irrespective of prior GLP-1RA and insulin use. Furthermore, the individual components of IDegLira have confirmed safety (degludec) or significant benefit in terms of improvement of cardiovascular risk (liraglutide). As an injectable therapy that is simple to titrate, IDegLira has the potential to optimize the ability to achieve relevant glycemic targets, and offers a suitable treatment option for people with T2D requiring insulin therapy who are at risk of hypoglycemia or weight gain.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)147-165
Number of pages19
JournalDrugs
Volume80
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2020

Keywords

  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy
  • Drug Combinations
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemic Agents/administration & dosage
  • Insulin, Long-Acting/administration & dosage
  • Liraglutide/administration & dosage

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