Initiation and gradual intensification of premixed insulin lispro therapy versus Basal {+/-} mealtime insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes eating light breakfasts.

OBJECTIVE: We compared two strategies initiating and intensifying insulin treatment and tested for noninferiority of premixed insulin to basal ± mealtime insulin analog in patients eating light breakfasts. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This randomized, open-label, 48-week study compared two algorithms. Up to three injections of insulin lispro mix 25 and/or insulin lispro mix 50 (premix; premixed insulin lispro) or basal insulin glargine plus up to three injections of insulin lispro (basal+; glargine + insulin lispro) were used in type 2 diabetic patients uncontrolled with oral antihyperglycemic medication and consuming <15% daily calories at breakfast. The hypothesis was to test noninferiority of premix to basal+ for glycemic control measured by HbA1c after 48 weeks, assessed using ANCOVA with a 0.4% margin. RESULTS: Patients (n = 344; 176 [51%] females; mean [SD] age 54.3 [8.8] years; BMI 29.4 [4.6] kg/m(2); baseline HbA1c 9.02 [0.97]%) were randomized to premix (n = 171) or basal+ (n = 173). In the per-protocol analysis (n = 230), least squares means (95% CI) end point HbA1c were 7.40% (7.15-7.65) and 7.55% (7.27-7.82) in respective arms. Between-treatment difference was -0.14% (-0.42 to 0.13), with noninferiority met. Significantly more patients in premix achieved HbA1c targets of <7.0% compared with basal+ (48.2 vs. 36.2%; P = 0.024). Self-monitored blood glucose profiles, body weight changes, total insulin doses, and overall hypoglycemia (65 vs. 60%) were similar in premix and basal+ (P = 0.494), except nocturnal episodes (34.3 vs. 23.7%; P = 0.018) were more common in premix. CONCLUSIONS: Both intensive insulin strategies improved glycemic control; however, final HbA1c levels were seen above those achieved in previous treat-to-target trials, likely due to the inadequate insulin titrations and probably due to the complexity of tested insulin regimens. A higher percentage of patients achieved target HbA1c <7% with multiple premixed insulins, but this treatment resulted in more nocturnal hypoglycemia than a basal-bolus regimen.

No effect of insulin pen with memory function on glycemic control in a patient cohort with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes: a randomized open-label study.

BACKGROUND: Injection compliance is a major problem in patients with type 1 diabetes. Increased compliance with mealtime insulin injections significantly improves metabolic control. Using an insulin pen with memory function might facilitate corrective dosing to avoid postprandial blood glucose peaks and therefore might improve overall glycemic control. METHODS: This randomized, open-label, 24-week multicenter study evaluated if patients with inadequately controlled type 1 diabetes [hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥ 8%] who were randomized to use the HumaPen® Memoir™, an insulin pen device with memory function, for their mealtime insulin injections achieved superior glycemic control (HbA1c change from baseline) than patients who used the conventional device HumaPen Luxura™. Hemoglobin A1c, hypoglycemia, and pen acceptance were assessed at baseline and after 12 and 24 weeks. RESULTS: Of 263 patients randomized, 257 were eligible for analysis: HumaPen Memoir 129, HumaPen Luxura 128; mean [standard deviation (SD)] baseline HbA1c 9.09% (0.99%); mean (SD) age 39.8 (16.5) years; 87.9% ≥18 years old; and mean (SD) diabetes duration 16.0 (11.2) years. Least square mean (95% confidence interval) changes of HbA1c up to week 24 were not significantly different between the HumaPen Memoir [0.43% (-0.59%,-0.28%)] and the HumaPen Luxura group [0.48% (0.64%, 0.32%); p = .669]. The overall incidence of hypoglycemic episodes did not differ significantly between groups (p = .982). Average satisfaction with insulin delivery was high in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this patient sample, usage of a memory function pen was not associated with superior glycemic control, suggesting that adherence to mealtime injection schedules was not improved in a relevant manner. The memory function might be helpful for specific patient populations only, e.g., children or forgetful patients.