Results from a Phase 2 clinical trial show fewer episodes of low blood sugar whenPatients with type 2 diabetesuse weekly basal insulin. Researchers compared an investigational drug called basal insulin Fc (BIF) with insulin degludec, a commercially available long-acting daily insulin. These study results show that BIF as a once-weekly basal insulin is promising and could represent an advance in insulin therapy.
New therapy with weekly basal insulin in sight
The reduced number of weekly insulin injections may improve adherence to insulin therapy. According to the study authors, this would lead to better patient outcomes. Once-weekly dosing could also increase the willingness of patients with type 2 diabetes to start insulin therapy when oral medications alone no longer provide adequate blood sugar control. All study participants had type 2 diabetes during the 32-week follow-up and were previous users of basal insulin in combination with oral hypoglycemic agents. A fasting blood glucose (NBG) for patients receiving BIF was 140 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less. The other target was at or below 120 mg/dL. The NBZ for insulin degludec was 100 mg/dL or less.
Compared to insulin degludec, patients taking BIF achieved similar long-term blood sugar control as measured by hemoglobin A1c. At the start of the study, the test subjects had an average A1c value of 8.1 percent. In the end, they had an average improvement in A1c of 0.6 percent for BIF and 0.7 percent for insulin degludec. The use of BIF resulted in significantly lower hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Severe untreated hypoglycemia is a dangerous complication that can cause seizures, unconsciousness and even death. So weekly basal insulin has the potential for a flatter and more predictable effect than current daily doses. This may have contributed to lower hypoglycemia, according to the scientists. In terms of safety, BIF had a generally comparable side effect profile to insulin degludec. Based on the promising data fromthis researchThe authors initiated further investigations in patients with type 1 diabetes and other patient populations with type 2 diabetes.
