The use of non-insulin anti-diabetic agents to improve glycemia without hypoglycemia in the hospital setting: focus on incretins

Dulaglutide-combined basal plus correction insulin therapy contributes to ideal glycemic control in non-critical hospitalized patients

AIMS/INTRODUCTION

We investigated whether dulaglutide (DU)-combined conventional insulin therapy is beneficial for glycemic control in non-critically ill hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was a prospective, randomized controlled pilot study. Participants were randomized to either basal-plus (BP) therapy, where basal insulin and corrective doses of regular insulin were administered before meals, or BP + DU therapy, where BP therapy was combined with DU. Blood glucose (BG) levels before and after every meal were measured for 7 days after assignment to groups. Because we consider the ideal BG during hospitalization to be within 100-180 mg/dL, we defined this range as the hospitalized ideal glucose range (hIGR). We compared the percentage of BG measurements within the hIGR among all BG measurements (%hIGR), mean BG, glucose variability and insulin dose between the two groups.

RESULTS

Of 54 patients, 27 were assigned to the BP group and 27 to the BP + DU group. The %hIGR was significantly higher (44% vs 56%, P < 0.001), and the frequency of BG >240 mg/dL and BG <70 mg/dL was significantly lower in the BP + DU group than in the BP group (both P < 0.001). The mean BG (183 ± 29 vs 162 ± 30 mg/dL, P < 0.05), standard deviation (P < 0.01), coefficient of variation (P < 0.01) and total regular insulin dose (P < 0.05) in the BP + DU group were significantly lower than those in the BP group. No significant side-effects were observed in either group.

CONCLUSIONS

BP + DU therapy reduced the frequency of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, and resulted in a lower glucose variability.

Management of hospitalized type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients are associated with adverse outcomes including increased rates of infection, longer hospital length of stay, and even death. Clinical trials in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus proved that by improving glycemic control, we can reduce all of them. Insulin is the preferred treatment for glycemic control in most cases, but alternative treatment options that can normalize blood glucose levels without hypoglycemia are being sought. Moreover, hospitalized patients are particularly vulnerable to severe, prolonged hypoglycemia since they may be unable to sense or respond to the early warning signs and symptoms of low blood glucose. Finally, nutritional support, corticosteroid therapy, and surgery increase the risk of hyperglycemia that leads to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. We review the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who are admitted to the general medical wards of the hospital for a procedure of intercurrent illness.

A practical and evidence-based approach to management of inpatient diabetes in non-critically ill patients and special clinical populations

Inpatient diabetes is a common medical problem encountered in up to 25-30% of hospitalized patients. Several prospective trials showed benefits of structured insulin therapy in managing inpatient hyperglycemia albeit in the expense of high hypoglycemia risk. These approaches, however, remain underutilized in hospital practice. In this review, we discuss clinical applications and limitations of current therapeutic strategies. Considerations for glycemic strategies in special clinical populations are also discussed. We suggest that given the complexity of inpatient glycemic control factors, the "one size fits all" approach should be modified to safe and less complex patient-centered evidence-based treatment strategies without compromising the treatment efficacy.

Evaluating preferences for profiles of GLP-1 receptor agonists among injection-naïve type 2 diabetes patients in the UK

OBJECTIVE

To use a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to evaluate preferences for the actual treatment features and overall profiles of two injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (dulaglutide and liraglutide) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the UK.

METHODS

In-person interviews were conducted in the UK to administer a DCE to patients with self-reported T2DM, naïve to treatment with injectable medications. The DCE examined six attributes of T2DM treatment each described by two levels: "dosing frequency," "hemoglobin A1c change," "weight change," "type of delivery system," "frequency of nausea," and "frequency of hypoglycemia." Part-worth utilities were estimated using random effects logit models and were used to calculate relative importance (RI) values for each attribute. A chi-square test was used to determine differences in preferences for dulaglutide versus liraglutide profiles.

RESULTS

A total of 243 participants [mean age: 60.5 (standard deviation 10.9) years; 76.1% male; mean body mass index: 29.8 (standard deviation 5.4) kg/m(2)] completed the study. RI values for the attributes in rank order were: "dosing frequency" (41.6%), "type of delivery system" (35.5%), "frequency of nausea" (10.4%), "weight change" (5.9%), "hemoglobin A1c change" (3.6%), and "frequency of hypoglycemia" (3.0%). Significantly more participants preferred the dulaglutide profile (83.1%) compared with the liraglutide profile (16.9%; P<0.0001).

CONCLUSION

This study elicited patients' preferences for attributes and levels representing the actual characteristics of two specific glucagon-like peptide-1 medications. In this context, dosing frequency and type of delivery system were most important, accounting for over 75% of the RI. While previous studies have identified efficacy as highly important in T2DM medication decisions, this study suggests that when differences in efficacy between medications are small, other treatment features (eg, dosing frequency and delivery system) are of much greater importance to patients.

The potential role of incretin therapy in the hospital setting

Hyperglycemia has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Insulin has traditionally been the drug of choice for managing hyperglycemia in this setting, but carries a significant risk of hypoglycemia. Incretin-based therapies, including glucagon-like peptide-1, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, have potential use in the hospital. These agents have a relatively low risk of hypoglycemia, favorable short-term side effect profile, and can be used alone or in combination with insulin. Several small studies have supported the safety and efficacy of incretin therapies in the inpatient setting with the majority of data coming from the intensive care setting. Large-scale clinical studies are needed to further evaluate the potential role of incretins in the management of inpatient hyperglycemia.

THE RATIONALE FOR USE OF INCRETINS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF NEW ONSET DIABETES AFTER TRANSPLANTATION (NODAT)

OBJECTIVE

Owing to advances in transplant science, increasing numbers of patients are receiving solid organ transplantation. New onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) frequently develops in transplant patients and requires acute and often ongoing management of hyperglycemia. The metabolic derangements of NODAT are similar to those of classic type 2 diabetes, and treatment has typically followed diabetes standards of care. Best practices for NODAT management remain to be developed.

METHODS

The mechanistic suitability of incretins to treat NODAT pathogenesis has been hitherto underappreciated. This review details the specific mechanistic value of incretins in patients with immunosuppression-associated hyperglycemia.

RESULTS

Corticosteroids have long been known to exert their effects on glucose metabolism by decreasing glucose utilization and enhancing hepatic gluconeogenesis. Corticosteroids also significantly and directly reduce insulin secretion, as do calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), another commonly used group of immunosuppressive drugs that cause hyperglycemia and NODAT. The ability of incretins to counteract immunosuppressant-induced disruptions in insulin secretion suggest that the insulinotropic, glucagonostatic, and glucose-lowering actions of incretins are well suited to treat immunosuppressant-induced hyperglycemia in NODAT. Additional benefits of incretins include decreased glucagon levels and improved insulin resistance. In the case of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, weight loss is another benefit, countering the weight gain that is a common consequence of both hyperglycemia and transplantation. These benefits make incretins very attractive and deserving of more investigation.

CONCLUSION

Among diabetes treatment options, incretin therapies uniquely counteract immunosuppressant drugs' interference with insulin secretion. We propose an incretin-based treatment paradigm for NODAT management.

Evidence-based practice use of incretin-based therapy in the natural history of diabetes

The incretin class of anti-hyperglycemic agents, including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-inhibitors, is an important addition to the therapeutic armamentarium for the management of appropriate patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise and/or with the agents metformin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, or any combination thereof. More recently, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications for incretins were expanded to include use with basal insulin. This review article takes an evidence-based practice approach in discussing the importance of aggressive treatment for diabetes, the principles of incretin physiology and pathophysiology, use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, and patient types and contexts where incretin therapy has been found beneficial, from metabolic syndrome to overt diabetes.