A new class of weekly insulin shots are as safe and effective as daily insulin injections for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, according to the results of two phase 3 clinical trials presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting.
One trial compared the safety and efficacy of efsitora, a once-weekly insulin injection, with the long-acting form of daily insulin shot called degludec for 52 weeks in 928 adults with type 2 diabetes, from various countries. The mean glycated haemoglobin level (A1C) decreased from 8.21 per cent to 6.97 per cent at 52 weeks with efsitora and from 8.24 per cent to 7.05 per cent with degludec. The time the glucose level was within the target range was 64.3 per cent with efsitora and 61.2 per cent with degludec. Severe hypoglycaemia was not reported with efsitora, whereas six episodes were reported with degludec.
Daily insulin shots can make compliance difficult for many patients. “Efsitora has the potential to address treatment burden and improve adherence―all while lowering A1C.”
The second trial compared the two insulin injections in 623 people with type 1 diabetes. While A1C reduction was similar between the two groups, hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) occurred more often among those taking efsitora compared with degludec. Patients with type 1 diabetes require daily basal and multiple daily mealtime insulin injections.
"This new data shows that with one dose a week of basal insulin, efsitora was able to achieve a similar A1C reduction as taking an injection of one of the most used background insulins every day,”the study said. Researchers are working to find “ways to minimise hypoglycaemia, so once-weekly insulin can be one option for personalising the management of type 1 diabetes”.