Fixed combination of long-acting insulin with GLP-1 analogue as an option of treatment intensification in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a progressive disease requiring stepwise treatment intensification including the eventual use of insulin therapy due to a progressive decline of endogenous insulin secretion. Insulin therapy initiation or intensification is often delayed owing among other reasons to its side effects - risk of hypoglycaemia and increase in body weight.
GLP-1 receptor agonists are being used more and more frequently in the treatment of T2DM as they combine an excellent efficacy with low risk of hypoglycaemia and decrease in blood pressure and body weight. In this paper, we summarize the efficacy and the safety of a new fixed injectable combination of long-acting insulin degludec and GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (IDegLira) that is close to the introduction to the market in the Czech Republic.
Studies show that this combination yields better efficacy than its individual components together with a simple application in one s.c. injection daily. Fixed IDegLira combination induces modest decrease of body weight despite the presence of insulin component and has lower or comparable risk of hypoglycaemia as compared to treatment with basal insulin alone.
The added value of IDegLira lies in the recently demonstrated protective effect of liraglutide on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.