Effect of Semaglutide on Regression and Progression of Glycemia in People With Overweight or Obesity but Without Diabetes in the SELECT Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether semaglutide slows progression of glycemia in people with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity but without diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a multicenter, double-blind trial, participants aged ≥45 years, with BMI ≥27 kg/m2, and with preexisting cardiovascular disease but without diabetes (HbA1c <6.5%) were randomized to receive subcutaneous semaglutide (2.4 mg weekly) or placebo. Major glycemic outcomes were HbA1c and proportions achieving biochemical normoglycemia (HbA1c <5.7%) and progressing to biochemical diabetes (HbA1c ≥6.5%). RESULTS: Of 17,604 participants, 8,803 were assigned to semaglutide and 8,801 to placebo. Mean ± SD intervention exposure was 152 ± 56 weeks and follow-up 176 ± 40 weeks. In both treatment arms mean nadir HbA1c for participants was at 20 weeks. Thereafter, HbA1c increased similarly in both arms, with a mean difference of -0.32 percentage points (95% CI -0.33 to -0.30; -3.49 mmol/mol [-3.66 to -3.32]) and with the difference favoring semaglutide throughout the study (P < 0.0001). Body weight plateaued at 65 weeks and was 8.9% lower with semaglutide. At week 156, a greater proportion treated with semaglutide were normoglycemic (69.5% vs. 35.8%; P < 0.0001) and a smaller proportion had biochemical diabetes by week 156 (1.5% vs. 6.9%; P < 0.0001). The number needed to treat was 18.5 to prevent a case of diabetes. Both regression and progression were dependent on glycemia at baseline, with the magnitude of weight reduction important in mediating 24.5% of progression and 27.1% of regression. CONCLUSIONS: In people with preexisting cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity but without diabetes, long-term semaglutide increases regression to biochemical normoglycemia and reduces progression to biochemical diabetes but does not slow glycemic progression over time.

Efficacy and Safety of IDegLira in Participants with Type 2 Diabetes in India Uncontrolled on Oral Antidiabetic Drugs and Basal Insulin: Data from the DUAL Clinical Trial Program.

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy and safety of insulin degludec/liraglutide (IDegLira) has been evaluated in the Dual Action of Liraglutide and Insulin Degludec in Type 2 Diabetes (DUAL) phase 3 clinical trial program. In this post hoc analysis, we compared the efficacy and safety of IDegLira in the Indian subpopulation with the results from the global trial population of DUAL trials. The analysis includes participants uncontrolled on oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) in DUAL I and DUAL IV and participants uncontrolled on basal insulin and OADs in DUAL II. METHODS: Three phase 3 trials were included in the analysis: DUAL I extension (IDegLira vs. insulin degludec or liraglutide 1.8 mg in participants uncontrolled on metformin ± pioglitazone; 52 weeks; n = 1663), DUAL IV (IDegLira vs. placebo as an add-on to a regimen of sulfonylurea ± metformin; 26 weeks; n = 435) and DUAL II (IDegLira vs. insulin degludec in participants uncontrolled on basal insulin + OADs; 26 weeks; n = 398). There were 251, 64 and 64 participants, respectively, at the Indian sites. RESULTS: In the Indian subpopulations, the reductions in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) with IDegLira were substantial [DUAL I: 1.96% (-21 mmol/mol); DUAL IV: -1.40% (-15 mmol/mol); DUAL II: -2.20% (-24 mmol/mol)] and significantly greater than those in the comparators in each trial. IDegLira was generally weight-neutral after the administration of OADs (-0.3 and +0.6 kg in DUAL I and DUAL IV) and resulted in weight loss after the administration of basal insulin (-2.1 kg in DUAL II). Hypoglycemia rates were 1.98, 1.08 and 0.37 events/patient-years of exposure (PYE) for IDegLira, insulin degludec and liraglutide in DUAL I, 4.06 and 0.36 events/PYE for IDegLira and placebo in DUAL IV and 1.16 and 0.83 events/PYE with IDegLira and insulin degludec in DUAL II. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the Indian subpopulations reflect those of the global study populations, supporting IDegLira as an effective and safe treatment option for people with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on OADs or basal insulin + OADs in the South Asian population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT01336023 (DUAL I), NCT01392573 (DUAL II), NCT01618162 (DUAL IV). FUNDING: Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark.

Effect of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue, on left ventricular function in stable chronic heart failure patients with and without diabetes (LIVE)-a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

AIMS: To determine the effect of the glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue liraglutide on left ventricular function in chronic heart failure patients with and without type 2 diabetes. METHODS AND RESULTS: LIVE was an investigator-initiated, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled multicentre trial. Patients (n = 241) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≤45%) were recruited (February 2012 to August 2015). Patients were clinically stable and on optimal heart failure treatment. Intervention was liraglutide 1.8 mg once daily or matching placebo for 24 weeks. The LVEF was similar at baseline in the liraglutide and the placebo group (33.7 ± 7.6% vs. 35.4 ± 9.4%). Change in LVEF did not differ between the liraglutide and the placebo group; mean difference (95% confidence interval) was -0.8% (-2.1, 0.5; P = 0.24). Heart rate increased with liraglutide [mean difference: 7 b.p.m. (5, 9), P < 0.0001]. Serious cardiac events were seen in 12 (10%) patients treated with liraglutide compared with 3 (3%) patients in the placebo group (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Liraglutide did not affect left ventricular systolic function compared with placebo in stable chronic heart failure patients with and without diabetes. Treatment with liraglutide was associated with an increase in heart rate and more serious cardiac adverse events, and this raises some concern with respect to the use of liraglutide in patients with chronic heart failure and reduced left ventricular function. More data on the safety of liraglutide in different subgroups of heart failure patients are needed.

IDegLira Improves Both Fasting and Postprandial Glucose Control as Demonstrated Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring and a Standardized Meal Test.

OBJECTIVE: IDegLira is a novel, fixed-ratio combination of the long-acting basal insulin, insulin degludec, and the long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 analog liraglutide. We studied the effect of IDegLira versus its components on postprandial glucose (PPG) in type 2 diabetes. METHODS: In this substudy, 260 (15.6%) of the original 1663 patients with inadequate glycemic control participating in a 26-week, open-label trial (DUAL I) were randomized 2:1:1 to once-daily IDegLira, insulin degludec or liraglutide. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for 72 hours and a meal test were performed. RESULTS: At week 26, IDegLira produced a significantly greater decrease from baseline in mean PPG increment (normalized iAUC0-4h) than insulin degludec (estimated treatment difference [ETD] -12.79 mg/dl [95% CI: -21.08; -4.68], P = .0023) and a similar magnitude of decrease as liraglutide (ETD -1.62 mg/dl [95% CI: -10.09; 6.67], P = .70). CGM indicated a greater reduction in change from baseline in PPG increment (iAUC0-4h) for IDegLira versus insulin degludec over all 3 main meals (ETD -6.13 mg/dl [95% CI: -10.27, -1.98], P = .0047) and similar reductions versus liraglutide (ETD -1.80 mg/dl [95% CI: -2.52, 5.95], P = .4122). Insulin secretion ratio and static index were greater for IDegLira versus insulin degludec (P = .048 and P = .006, respectively) and similar to liraglutide (P = .45 and P = .895, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Once-daily IDegLira provides significantly better PPG control following a mixed meal test than insulin degludec. The improvement is at least partially explained by higher endogenous insulin secretion and improved beta cell function with IDegLira. The benefits of liraglutide on PPG control are maintained across all main meals in the combination.

A protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of LIraglutide on left VEntricular function in chronic heart failure patients with and without type 2 diabetes (The LIVE Study).

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure is one of the most common cardiovascular complications of diabetes and the most disabling and deadly complication too. Many antidiabetic agents have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in a subset of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF); thus, new treatment modalities are warranted. Interestingly, a beneficial effect of the incretin hormone, GLP-1, on cardiac function has been suggested in patients with diabetes and patients without diabetes. Liraglutide (Victoza) is a GLP-1 analogue developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, its impact on cardiac function has not previously been investigated in patients with CHF. This prompted us to investigate whether liraglutide treatment for 24 weeks improves left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with CHF with and without T2D compared with placebo treatment. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: An investigator-initiated, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled intervention trial. In total, 240 patients with CHF (with and without T2D) with LVEF≤45% will be randomised to either subcutaneous injection of liraglutide 1.8 mg or matching placebo once daily for 24 weeks. The effect of liraglutide on left ventricular function will be evaluated by advanced echocardiography, including three-dimensional contrast echocardiography. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study will be performed and monitored according to the Good Clinical Practice-International Conference on Harmonisation (GCP-ICH) regulations and conducted according to the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The Danish Medicines Agency, the local Research Ethics Committee and the Danish Data Protection Agency have approved the study. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01472640.

Impact of type 2 diabetes susceptibility variants on quantitative glycemic traits reveals mechanistic heterogeneity.

Patients with established type 2 diabetes display both ß-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. To define fundamental processes leading to the diabetic state, we examined the relationship between type 2 diabetes risk variants at 37 established susceptibility loci, and indices of proinsulin processing, insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity. We included data from up to 58,614 nondiabetic subjects with basal measures and 17,327 with dynamic measures. We used additive genetic models with adjustment for sex, age, and BMI, followed by fixed-effects, inverse-variance meta-analyses. Cluster analyses grouped risk loci into five major categories based on their relationship to these continuous glycemic phenotypes. The first cluster (PPARG, KLF14, IRS1, GCKR) was characterized by primary effects on insulin sensitivity. The second cluster (MTNR1B, GCK) featured risk alleles associated with reduced insulin secretion and fasting hyperglycemia. ARAP1 constituted a third cluster characterized by defects in insulin processing. A fourth cluster (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX/IDE, CDKAL1, CDKN2A/2B) was defined by loci influencing insulin processing and secretion without a detectable change in fasting glucose levels. The final group contained 20 risk loci with no clear-cut associations to continuous glycemic traits. By assembling extensive data on continuous glycemic traits, we have exposed the diverse mechanisms whereby type 2 diabetes risk variants impact disease predisposition.

Insulin gene mutations resulting in early-onset diabetes: marked differences in clinical presentation, metabolic status, and pathogenic effect through endoplasmic reticulum retention.

OBJECTIVE: Heterozygous mutations in the human preproinsulin (INS) gene are a cause of nonsyndromic neonatal or early-infancy diabetes. Here, we sought to identify INS mutations associated with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) or nonautoimmune diabetes in mid-adult life, and to explore the molecular mechanisms involved. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The INS gene was sequenced in 16 French probands with unexplained MODY, 95 patients with nonautoimmune early-onset diabetes (diagnosed at <35 years) and 292 normoglycemic control subjects of French origin. Three identified insulin mutants were generated by site-directed mutagenesis of cDNA encoding a preproinsulin-green fluorescent protein (GFP) (C-peptide) chimera. Intracellular targeting was assessed in clonal beta-cells by immunocytochemistry and proinsulin secretion, by radioimmunoassay. Spliced XBP1 and C/EBP homologous protein were quantitated by real-time PCR. RESULTS: A novel coding mutation, L30M, potentially affecting insulin multimerization, was identified in five diabetic individuals (diabetes onset 17-36 years) in a single family. L30M preproinsulin-GFP fluorescence largely associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in MIN6 beta-cells, and ER exit was inhibited by approximately 50%. Two additional mutants, R55C (at the B/C junction) and R6H (in the signal peptide), were normally targeted to secretory granules, but nonetheless caused substantial ER stress. CONCLUSIONS: We describe three INS mutations cosegregating with early-onset diabetes whose clinical presentation is compatible with MODY. These led to the production of (pre)proinsulin molecules with markedly different trafficking properties and effects on ER stress, demonstrating a range of molecular defects in the beta-cell.

Variant near ADAMTS9 known to associate with type 2 diabetes is related to insulin resistance in offspring of type 2 diabetes patients--EUGENE2 study.

BACKGROUND: A meta-analysis combining results from three genome-wide association studies and followed by large-scale replication identified six novel type 2 diabetes loci. Subsequent studies of the effect of these variants on estimates of the beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity have been inconclusive. We examined these variants located in or near the JAZF1 (rs864745), THADA (rs7578597), TSPAN8 (rs7961581), ADAMTS9 (rs4607103), NOTCH2 (rs10923931) and the CDC123/CAMK1D (rs12779790) genes for associations with measures of pancreatic beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity. METHODOLOGY/RESULTS: Oral and intravenous glucose stimulated insulin release (n = 849) and insulin sensitivity (n = 596) estimated from a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp were measured in non-diabetic offspring of type 2 diabetic patients from five European populations. Assuming an additive genetic model the diabetes-associated major C-allele of rs4607103 near ADAMTS9 associated with reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (p = 0.002) during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. However, following intravenous and oral administration of glucose serum insulin release was increased in individuals with the C-allele (p = 0.003 and p = 0.01, respectively). A meta-analyse combining clamp and IVGTT data from a total of 905 non-diabetic individuals showed that the C-risk allele associated with decreased insulin sensitivity (p = 0.003) and increased insulin release (p = 0.002). The major T-allele of the intronic JAZF1 rs864745 conferring increased diabetes risk was associated with increased 2(nd) phase serum insulin release during an IVGTT (p = 0.03), and an increased fasting serum insulin level (p = 0.001). The remaining variants did not show any associations with insulin response, insulin sensitivity or any other measured quantitative traits. CONCLUSION: The present studies suggest that the diabetogenic impact of the C-allele of rs4607103 near ADAMTS9 may in part be mediated through decreased insulin sensitivity of peripheral tissues.

[Diabetes in infants may be treated with sulfonylurea as a replacement for insulin]. / Spaedbørnsdiabetes kan ofte behandles med sulfonylurinstof i stedet for insulin.

A two-month-old Danish girl was admitted to the hospital in diabetic ketoacidosis and diagnosed with permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM). She received continuous insulin treatment until she was genetically tested at the Steno Diabetes Centre. She carried a KCNJ11 Arg201His mutation, an activating mutation in the KCNJ11-gene which encodes the ATP-sensitive potassium subunit Kir6.2 in the beta cell which is responsible for insulin secretion. As recommended in the literature, she was successfully shifted from insulin therapy to sulfonylurea tablets at the age of three years and nine months. PNDM-patients should be screened for gene mutations regardless of current age.

Single-nucleotide polymorphism rs7754840 of CDKAL1 is associated with impaired insulin secretion in nondiabetic offspring of type 2 diabetic subjects and in a large sample of men with normal glucose tolerance.

CONTEXT: CDKAL1 is a recently discovered susceptibility gene for type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the impact of rs7754840 of CDKAL1 on insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, and risk of type 2 diabetes. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Study 1 (the EUGENE2 study) was a cross-sectional study including subjects from five white populations in Europe (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Sweden). Study 2 is an ongoing prospective study of Finnish men. PARTICIPANTS: In study 1, 846 nondiabetic offspring of type 2 diabetic patients (age 40 +/- 10 yr; body mass index 26.7 +/- 5.0 kg/m(2)) participated. In study 2, subjects included 3900 middle-aged men (533 type 2 diabetic and 3367 nondiabetic subjects). INTERVENTIONS: INTERVENTIONS included iv glucose-tolerance test (IVGTT), oral glucose-tolerance test (OGTT), and euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp in study 1 and OGTT in study 2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parameters of insulin secretion, insulin resistance, and glucose tolerance status were assessed. RESULTS: In study 1, carriers of the GC and CC genotypes of rs7754840 had 11 and 24% lower first-phase insulin release in an IVGTT compared with that in carriers of the GG genotype (P = 0.002). The C allele was also associated with higher glucose area under the curve in an OGTT (P = 0.016). In study 2, rs7754840 was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes (P = 0.022) and markers of impaired insulin release [insulinogenic index (IGI), P = 0.012] in 2405 men with normal glucose tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: rs7754840 of CDKAL1 was associated with markers of impaired insulin secretion in two independent studies. Furthermore, rs7754840 was associated with type 2 diabetes in Finnish men (study 2). Therefore, CDKAL1 is likely to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by impairing insulin secretion.