Biphasic insulin aspart 30/70 (BIAsp 30) in the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Drug-related risk of severe hypoglycaemia in observational studies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to multiple complications, including severe hypoglycaemia events (SHEs). SHEs can impact a patient's quality of life and compliance and may directly result in additional costs to the health care system. The aim of this review was to evaluate the risk of severe hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 (T1) and 2 (T2) DM as observed in everyday clinical practice for various drug regimens.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of observational (retrospective or prospective) studies in the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases that covered at least 100 children or adults with T1/T2 DM. In T1 DM, basal-bolus/pre-mix insulin (human or analogue) and insulin pump were reviewed, and in T2 DM, basal-bolus/pre-mix insulin (human or analogue), oral antidiabetic drugs supported with basal insulin (human or analogue), sulfonylureas in monotherapy, and combined oral treatment were reviewed. In order to estimate SHE rates, we extracted data on the time horizon of the study, number of patients, number of SHEs, and number of patients experiencing at least one SHE. We used a random effects model to estimate the annual SHE rate. We considered the risk for other antidiabetic medications in T2 DM to be negligible and the results of our main review yielded no observational data for premixes in T1 DM so they were assessed based on relative rates taken from additional systematic reviews. The study, being a desk research, did not involve any human subjects (including human material or human data) and no ethical committee approval was asked for. For the same reason there was no need to collect informed consent for participation in the study.

RESULTS

We identified 76 observational studies encompassing 707,722.30 patient-years. The estimated annual SHE rate varied from 0.168 (95 % CI 0.123-0.237) for insulin pump up to 1.628 for biphasic human insulin in T1 DM patients, and from 0.0035 for oral antidiabetic drugs up to 0.554 (95 % CI 0.157-7.534) for basal-bolus with human insulin in T2 DM patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review indicates that SHE rates differ between patients depending on treatment regimen. However, SHEs are also driven by other factors. Proper modelling techniques are needed to use various types of information in published studies.

Safety and effectiveness of biphasic insulin aspart 30 in different age-groups: a1chieve sub-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Effective management of type 2 diabetes requires sustained glycemic control over many years, which can be particularly challenging for elderly people. This sub-analysis of the A1chieve study evaluated the clinical safety and effectiveness of biphasic insulin aspart 30 in 3 age-groups (≤40, >40-65, and >65 years) of previously insulin-experienced and insulin-naïve people with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

A1chieve was an international, multicenter, prospective, open-label, non-interventional, 24-week study in people with type 2 diabetes who had been receiving anti-diabetes medication before starting, or switching to, therapy with biphasic insulin aspart 30, insulin detemir or insulin aspart (alone or in combination) in routine clinical practice. This sub-analysis evaluated clinical safety and effectiveness of biphasic insulin aspart 30 (±oral glucose-lowering drugs) in different age-groups.

RESULTS

Data on 40,122 participants were included. In all age-groups, the proportion of participants experiencing any hypoglycemia, major hypoglycemia or nocturnal hypoglycemia was significantly reduced from baseline, except for the following in insulin-naïve patients: a significant increase in any hypoglycemia in patients aged >65 years; no change in any hypoglycemia, major hypoglycemia, and nocturnal hypoglycemia in patients aged >40-65, ≤40, and >65 years, respectively. Significant improvements at 24 weeks vs. baseline were observed in insulin-experienced and insulin-naïve participants for: glycated hemoglobin (change from baseline ranged from -1.8% to -2.4%); fasting plasma glucose (from -3.0 to -4.3 mmol/l); post-breakfast post-prandial plasma glucose (from -4.1 to -6.5 mmol/l); and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Sixteen serious adverse drug reactions were reported.

CONCLUSION

After 24-week treatment with biphasic insulin aspart 30, all age-groups of insulin-experienced and insulin-naïve patients experienced significantly improved glycemic control and HRQoL; incidence of hypoglycemia was generally reduced. The tolerability and effectiveness of biphasic insulin aspart 30 may benefit all age-groups.

Clinical experience with BIAsp 30: results from the Indonesian cohort of the international A₁chieve study

AIM

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) in Indonesian patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) as part of the 24-week, international, prospective, non-interventional A₁chieve study.

METHODS

Indonesian patients who started BIAsp 30 were included. Safety and efficacy was measured as part of routine clinical practice at baseline, Week 12 and Week 24.

RESULTS

Overall, 1324 patients having a mean ± SD age, duration of diabetes and body mass index of 55.2 ± 9.9 yrs, 6.8 ± 5.2 yrs and 24.1 ± 3.6 kg/m(2), respectively, were enrolled. 67% of patients were insulin-naive and 33% were prior insulin users. Glycaemic control was poor at baseline. After 24 weeks, significant reductions from baseline were observed in the mean glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (-2.6%), fasting plasma glucose (-93.8 mg/dL) and postprandial plasma glucose (-134.8 mg/dL) levels in the entire cohort (p < 0.001). Significant reductions were also seen in insulin-naive patients and prior insulin users. At Week 24, 29.9% of patients in the entire cohort achieved target HbA1c level of <7.0%, while 26.7% and 39.2% achieved this target among insulin-naive patients and prior insulin users, respectively. The proportion of patients reporting overall hypoglycaemia significantly decreased in the entire cohort after 24 weeks of BIAsp 30 therapy. A small significant increase in body weight was noted in the entire cohort, insulin-naive patients and prior insulin users.

CONCLUSION

The current study suggests that BIAsp 30 can be considered as a safe and effective option for initiating as well as intensifying insulin therapy in Indonesian patients with T2D.