In people with type 2 diabetes, Xultophy (insulin degludec/liraglutide) significantly reduced a number of risk factors associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), compared to basal insulin.
According to a new post-hoc analysis presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, people treated with Xultophy had significantly lower systolic blood pressure, lower total cholesterol as well as lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and significant weight changes in favor of Xultophy compared to people treated with basal insulin (insulin glargine U100 or insulin degludec). A small but statistically significant increase in heart rate was also observed with Xultophy.
"People with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of a heart attack or stroke compared to the general population, so reducing this risk as much as possible should be a central goal of treatment", said Professor Tina Vilsbøll, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Denmark & Center for Diabetes Research, Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. "I am very pleased to see the beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk markers provided by Xultophy."
CVD is the principal cause of death and disability among people with type 2 diabetes globally, with approximately two-thirds of deaths in people with diabetes attributable to CVD. Therefore, treatments for type 2 diabetes should not only lower blood sugar levels but also decrease CV risk.
The CV risk markers data came from a new post-hoc analysis of two Xultophy randomised-controlled clinical trials, comparing the efficacy and safety of Xultophy against insulin degludec in DUAL II and against insulin glargine U100 in DUAL V, both with metformin for 26 weeks. These trials were conducted in people with type 2 diabetes not achieving glycaemic control (HbA1c 7.5-10.0% in DUAL II; 7.0-10.0% in DUAL V) on basal insulin (20-40 units in DUAL II; 20-50 units in DUAL V). The primary results from these trials have been reported previously.