The clinical application of linagliptin in Asians

A Pharmacokinetic Drug Interaction Between Fimasartan and Linagliptin in Healthy Volunteers

Objective

Fimasartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker, and linagliptin, a dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitor, are frequently coadministered to treat patients with hypertension and diabetes, respectively. This study sought to evaluate the pharmacokinetic interactions between fimasartan and linagliptin after co-administration in healthy Korean subjects.

Methods

The overall study was divided into two separate parts, with each part designed as an open-label, multiple-dose, two-period, and single-sequence study. In Part A, to investigate the effect of linagliptin on fimasartan, 25 subjects received 120 mg fimasartan alone once daily for seven days during Period I, and 120 mg fimasartan with 20 mg linagliptin for seven days during Period II. In Part B, to examine the effect of fimasartan on linagliptin, 12 subjects received only linagliptin once daily for seven days during Period I, followed by concomitant administration of fimasartan for seven days during Period II, at the same doses used in Part A. Serial blood samples were collected at scheduled intervals for up to 24 h after the last dose to determine the steady-state pharmacokinetics of both drugs.

Results

Thirty-six subjects completed the study. The geometric mean ratio and 90% confidence intervals for maximum plasma concentration at steady state (C_max,ss) and area under the concentration–time curve at steady state (AUC_τ,ss) of fimasartan with or without linagliptin were 1.2633 (0.9175–1.7396) and 1.1740 (1.0499–1.3126), respectively. The corresponding values for C_max,ss and AUC_τ,ss of linagliptin with or without fimasartan were 0.9804 (0.8480–1.1336) and 0.9950 (0.9322–1.0619), respectively. A total of eight adverse events (AEs) were reported and the incidence of AEs did not increase significantly with co-administration of the drugs.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that there are no clinically significant pharmacokinetic interactions between fimasartan and linagliptin when co-administered. Treatments were well tolerated during the study, with no serious adverse effects.

Clinical Trial Registry

http://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03250052.

GLP-1 receptor agonists and risk of cancer in type 2 diabetes: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

Some preliminary studies reported a link between GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and thyroid/pancreatic neoplasms, while its human relevance remained undetermined. The present meta-analysis was performed to collect information on cancers associated with GLP-1RAs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov were extensively searched to identify randomized controlled trials that reported cancer events in T2DM patients treated with GLP-1RAs for at least 52 weeks, up to March 18, 2019. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was calculated for overall cancer (primary outcome), thyroid and pancreatic cancer.

RESULTS

A total of 37 eligible trials were identified. The OR for overall cancer associated with GLP-1RAs was 1.03 (95% CI 0.95-1.12; p = 0.41) compared with comparators. Subgroup analyses showed that treatment with albiglutide was associated with a lower risk of overall cancer (OR 0.76 [95% CI 0.60-0.97]; p = 0.03), and no elevated risk of overall cancer was identified for other GLP-1RAs. No significant differences in the risks of thyroid nor pancreatic cancer were disclosed between GLP-1RAs and comparators.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis did not suggest any increased risk of cancers associated with GLP-1RAs use in T2DM. The reduction in the risk of overall cancer associated with albiglutide needs to be examined further.

Incretin-based therapies for patients with type 1 diabetes: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Combined treatment with an incretin-based drug, such as a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) or a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, and basal insulin is a new strategy for improving glucose control in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). We performed a meta-analysis to assess the effect of this combined treatment on glycaemic control, insulin dose, severe hypoglycaemia, weight gain and gastrointestinal side effects in T1DM patients.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for relevant studies published before July 16, 2018. The primary outcome was glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Secondary outcomes included total daily insulin dose, body weight, severe hypoglycaemia and gastrointestinal side effects.

RESULTS

Nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 2389 patients were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. The pooled data suggested that incretin-based therapy was associated with a reduction in HbA1c levels (weighted mean difference (WMD) -0.17%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.24 to -0.11, P < 0.001), total daily insulin dose (WMD -5.53 IU/day, 95% CI -8.89 to -2.17, P = 0.001) and body weight (WMD -3.24 kg, 95% CI -4.43 to -2.04, P < 0.001). Incretins did not increase the risk of severe hypoglycaemia (odds ratio (OR) 0.83, 95% CI 0.60-1.16, P = 0.287) but increased the occurrence of gastrointestinal side effects (OR 3.46, 95% CI 2.20-5.45, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In T1DM patients, GLP-1 RAs, but not DPP-4 inhibitors, combined with insulin appear to be an effective therapy but may increase the occurrence of gastrointestinal side effects.