Current insulin analogues in the treatment of diabetes: emphasis on type 2 diabetes

How Can a Good Idea Fail? Basal Insulin Peglispro [LY2605541] for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

INTRODUCTION

Lack of control in diabetic patients has stimulated the development of new insulin analogues. One of these was basal insulin peglispro (BIL) or LY2605541; it had a large hydrodynamic size, flat pharmacokinetic profile, half life of 2-3 days and acted preferably in the liver.

METHODS

We reviewed the recent literature examining the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy and safety of BIL treatment in type 2 diabetes patients.

RESULTS

The pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic outline of BIL seemed to have an advantage over neutral protamine Hagedorn and glargine insulins. Recently, phase 3 studies suggested BIL was superior to glargine in reducing glucose levels in type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients in addition to causing less weight gain. It showed a different hypoglycaemia rate profile depending on the study population, with less nocturnal hypoglycaemia compared to glargine. Unfortunately, it caused higher transaminase and triglyceride levels, which led the company to discontinue development. The decision came after it had been analysed by the regulatory authorities and other external experts concerning the worse liver profile data from the IMAGINE trials.

CONCLUSIONS

BIL was an adequate basal insulin analogue with interesting specific properties. Unfortunately the disadvantages as shown in the lipid values and liver function tests led to its failure.

A review of cardiovascular outcomes in the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes

INTRODUCTION

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common and serious complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often linked to the increased morbidity and mortality associated with T2DM. Monitoring and treating risk factors for CVD are important elements of diabetes management. This review aims to examine CV risk in people with relatively early and mild diabetes who are at substantial risk of CVD; it considers the impact of insulin therapy on this risk by focusing on key studies in patients with diabetes.

METHODS

A literature search was carried out using PubMed to identify key publications, between 2008 and 2013, related to insulin and its possible effect on CVD. This review examines CV risk in diabetes and the impact of insulin therapy on this risk.

RESULTS

Studies have shown that treatment with insulin glargine is associated with marked improvement in the lipid profile of people with T2DM. Intensive insulin therapy has been shown to lower mortality rates in people with diabetes following acute myocardial infarction after 1 year. Retrospective data also indicate that insulin reduces the risk of CVD events, regardless of whether people had comorbidities known to increase CV risk. The prospective ORIGIN (Outcome Reduction with Initial Glargine Intervention) trial found that treatment with insulin glargine had a neutral effect with regard to CV outcomes in people with prediabetes or early diabetes, compared with standard care.

CONCLUSIONS

Other ongoing, large-scale studies of insulin therapy should provide further insights into whether or not insulin therapy can influence long-term CV outcomes.

The development of new basal insulins: is there any clinical advantage with their use in type 2 diabetes?

INTRODUCTION

The basal insulin products currently on market do not optimally mimic endogenous insulin secretion. These unmet clinical needs have fueled the development of new basal insulin analogues for improving their pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics profile.

AREAS COVERED

We review the recent literature investigating the efficacy and safety of new basal insulin analogues in type 2 diabetes, as in the USA, insulin utilization accounted for 26% of treatment visits for these patients in 2012. Insulin degludec is a desB30 insulin acylated at the LysB29 residue with a glutamate linker and 16-carbon fatty diacyl side chain. Insulin lispro has been PEGylated at lysine B28, via a urethane bond, which increases the hydrodynamic size of the molecule and reduces its absorption and clearance following subcutaneous administration. Glargine U300 represents a new high-strength glargine formulation (300 U/ml): once injected, U300 forms a compact subcutaneous depot with a smaller surface area to produce a more gradual and prolonged release. Both PEG-lispro and glargine U300 are not yet on the market.

EXPERT OPINION

Ultra-long acting and high-strength formulations of new basal analogues have the potential for less glycemic variability, less (nocturnal) hypoglycemia and weight-loss advantage for PEG-lispro. However, these new basal insulin analogues need to be monitored closely for adverse signals.

Long-acting basal insulin analogs: latest developments and clinical usefulness

All patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus need insulin treatment permanently, and many patients with type 2 diabetes will require insulin therapy. Basal insulin analogs are increasingly used in the treatment of diabetes, with the aim of offering a better replication of the pattern of basal endogenous secretion of insulin. Their flatter pharmacodynamic profile, with a much lower peak of action, their slow and continuous absorption into the systemic circulation, and prolonged duration, more closely duplicate the endogenous insulin secretion leading to physiological basal glycemic control and affording more flexible treatment with fewer hypoglycemia episodes. The basal analogs represent the most significant advances in 'basal insulin' supplementation, and can be used in different insulin regimens achieving the same clinical effectiveness over conventional insulins, with benefits in terms of hypoglycemia and less weight gain, and may be an option for patients with problematic hypoglycemia despite optimization of conventional insulin therapy. At present, there are no data on micro- or macrovascular endpoints, and indeed it is unlikely that these will become available, at least in the foreseeable future. The evidence for basal insulin analogs affecting the risk of cancer is limited, and overriding diabetes indications rather than putative cancer concerns should remain the principal consideration when selecting therapy in patients with diabetes.