Lo clásico y lo nuevo en el tratamiento del sobrepeso y la obesidad / The classic and the new in the treatment of overweight and obesity

Así como planteamos en la primera entrega de esta serie de artículos de actualización sobre la obesidad, resulta urgente revisar el abordaje tradicional que la comunidad médica le ofrece a las personas con cuerpos gordos. En este segundo artículo desarrollaremos en profundidad diferentes alternativas terapéuticas para los pacientes que desean bajar de peso:plan alimentario, actividad física, tratamiento farmacológico y cirugía metabólica. (AU)

As we proposed in the first issue of this series of articles, it is urgent to review the traditional approach that the medical community offers to people with fat bodies. This second article will develop different therapeutic alternatives for patients who want to lose weight: eating plans, physical activity, pharmacological treatment, and metabolic surgery. (AU)

Oral semaglutide improves body composition and preserves lean mass in patients with type 2 diabetes: a 26-week prospective real-life study.

Background: Oral semaglutide is the first glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) designed for oral administration; it offers a promising opportunity to facilitate an early approach to Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). The study aimed to evaluate, in a real-life setting, the effects of oral semaglutide on the body composition of patients with T2D after 26 weeks of therapy. Methods: Thirty-two patients with T2D were evaluated at baseline (T0) and after three (T3) and six (T6) months of therapy with oral semaglutide. At each time point, body composition was assessed using a phase sensitive bioimpedance analyzer. Clinical, anthropometric and laboratory parameters, and the main biometric surrogates of liver steatosis and fibrosis, were also analyzed and compared. Results: A significant and early reduction in anthropometric and glucometabolic parameters, alanine aminotransferase, Fatty Liver Index, and Fat Mass was observed. Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) decreased, while Fat Free Mass and Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) were preserved during therapy, resulting in a beneficial increase in the SMM/VAT ratio. Finally, an overall improvement in body fluid distribution was observed. Conclusion: Our real-world data confirm the clinical efficacy of oral semaglutide and highlight its ability to improve the nutritional status of patients with T2D.

Efectos en vida real de la adición de semaglutida subcutánea semanal al tratamiento con insulina en diabetes mellitus tipo 2 / Real-life effects of adding weekly subcutaneous semaglutide to insulin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objetivos: Determinar en la vida real los beneficios antropométricos y analíticos de la adición de semaglutida por vía subcutánea al tratamiento previo con insulina en pacientes con diabetes tipo 2.Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo y abierto en el que se describen características clínicas y antropométricas de 117 pacientes diagnosticados de diabetes tipo 2 seguidos en las consultas externas de Endocrinología y Nutrición del Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias a lo largo de 53 semanas tras el inicio de tratamiento con semaglutida subcutánea (octubre-diciembre 2019). Todos los pacientes estaban en tratamiento previo con insulina, con o sin antidiabéticos orales.Resultados: De los 117 pacientes iniciales, 17 no completaron el estudio debido a efectos adversos (náuseas, vómitos), decisión clínica y pérdida de seguimiento.A los 12 meses (semana 53) del inicio de la semaglutida se obtuvo un descenso de HbA1c de 0,74% (IC 95% 0,59-1,14, p<0,05), así como de 3,61kg de peso (IC 95% 2,30-4,92, p<0,05), y de 15,88 UI de insulina total (IC 95% 10,98-20,74, p<0,05) respecto a las cifras basales. En pacientes sin análogo del receptor de GLP-1 (arGLP-1) previo, el efecto en la disminución de HbA1c, el peso y la dosis total de insulina fue estadísticamente significativo; sin embargo, los pacientes pretratados con arGLP-1 solo tuvieron mejoría en la reducción de peso. No se observaron eventos adversos graves.Conclusiones: La adición de semaglutida subcutánea al tratamiento previo con insulina con o sin antidiabéticos orales induce una disminución de HbA1c, peso y dosis de insulina de forma segura. Este efecto es mayor en pacientes naïve para tratamiento con arGLP-1. (AU)

Objectives: This work aims to determine the real-life anthropometric and analytical benefits of adding subcutaneous semaglutide to previous insulin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods: This is a descriptive, retrospective, open-label study describing the clinical and anthropometric characteristics of 117 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes followed-up on in the Endocrinology and Nutrition outpatient clinic of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias for 53 weeks after starting treatment with subcutaneous semaglutide (October-December 2019). All patients were on previous insulin treatment with or without oral antidiabetics.Results: Of the 117 initial patients, 17 did not complete the study due to adverse effects (nausea, vomiting), the physician's decision, or loss to follow-up.Twelve months (week 53) after starting semaglutide, there was a decrease in HbA1c of 0.74% (95% CI 0.59-1.14, p<0.05) as well as 3.61kg of weight loss (95% CI 2.30-4.92, p<0.05) and a decline in total insulin of 15.88 IU (95% CI 10.98-20.74, p<0.05) from baseline figures. In patients without prior GLP-1 receptor analogs (GLP-1ra), the effect in terms of a reduction in HbA1c, weight, and the total insulin dose was statistically significant. However, in patients pre-treated with GLP-1ra only had improvements in terms of weight loss. No serious adverse events were observed.Conclusions: The addition of subcutaneous semaglutide to prior insulin treatment with or without oral antidiabetics safely led to a decrease in HbA1c, weight, and the insulin dose. This effect is greater in GLP-1ra naive patients. (AU)

Practical Considerations and Rationale for Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Plus Sodium-Dependent Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor Combination Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors have demonstrated clinically significant benefits on glycated hemoglobin, weight, blood pressure and cardiorenal outcomes. The emerging evidence from clinical trials and meta-analyses that assessed the combination of these 2 classes of drugs has been promising. An expert forum that included individuals with expertise in endocrine, cardiology and nephrology issues was held in May 2020 to review the literature on the metabolic and cardiorenal benefits of these 2 classes, independently and in combination, in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although hard outcome data are not available, the group concluded that the combination of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists with sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors is an emerging option for managing adults with type 2 diabetes as long as cost is not a barrier. Ongoing research may offer further insights on hard cardiorenal outcomes for this therapeutic combination as well as provide direction on the potential of this approach in obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and populations without diabetes.

Fixed versus flexible combination of GLP-1 receptor agonists with basal insulin in type 2 diabetes: A retrospective multicentre comparative effectiveness study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The combination of basal insulin (BI) and GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) is a rational and effective therapy for patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D). We compared the effectiveness of fixed and flexible BI/GLP-1RA combinations using routinely accumulated clinical data. METHODS: This was a retrospective, multicentre, real-world study concerning T2D patients initiating a fixed or flexible BI/GLP-1RA combination (NCT03959865). The primary endpoint was change in HbA1c. Secondary endpoints were changes in body weight, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Confounding was addressed by propensity score matching (PSM) or multivariable adjustment (MVA). RESULTS: A total of 609 patients were included in the study, 131 in the fixed group and 478 in the flexible group. The two groups differed in terms of diabetes duration, body weight and concomitant medications. After 5.7 months, observed HbA1c reductions were 0.6% and 0.8%, and body weight reductions were 2.8 kg and 1.2 kg in the flexible and fixed groups, respectively. Following PSM, HbA1c declined similarly in the two groups, whereas reduction in body weight was significantly in favour of the flexible combination. Findings were robust in sensitivity analyses, with the exception that, with MVA, a significantly higher reduction in HbA1c was detected in the fixed group. Final doses of BI were higher in the fixed group, whereas those of GLP-1RA were higher in the flexible group. CONCLUSIONS: In routine specialist care, initiation of the fixed or flexible BI/GLP-1RA combination allowed similar improvement in glycaemic control, but greater weight loss was observed with the flexible combination. This difference reflected dosages of BI and GLP-1RAs.

Two cases of advanced stage rapidly progressive diabetic nephropathy effectively treated with combination therapy including RAS blocker, GLP-1 receptor agonist and SGLT-2 inhibitor.

We herein report two cases of advanced stage rapidly progressive diabetic nephropathy that were effectively treated with combination therapy including renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAS) blocker [angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB)], glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and sodium glucose transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor. A 30-year-old woman with advanced stage diabetic nephropathy [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): 20.7 mL/min/1.73 m2; proteinuria: 13.2 g/gCr], showing a rapidly progressive pattern (annual eGFR change: - 60.0 mL/min/1.73 m2/year), had improvement in proteinuria (5.9 g/gCr) and eGFR change (+ 4.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 over 15 weeks) after administration of ARB (irbesartan 25 mg/day), GLP-1 receptor agonist (liraglutide 0.3 mg/day) and SGLT-2 inhibitor (canagliflozin 50 mg/day). A 59-year-old man with advanced stage diabetic nephropathy (eGFR: 32.4 mL/min/1.73 m2; proteinuria: 8.90 g/gCr), showing a rapidly progressive pattern (annual eGFR change: - 21.2 mL/min/1.73 m2/year), had an improvement in proteinuria (0.02 g/gCr) and annual eGFR change (+ 0.1 mL/min/1.73 m2/year) after combination therapy with ARB (olmesartan 40 mg/day), GLP-1 receptor agonist (liraglutide 0.9 mg/day) and SGLT-2 inhibitor (tofogliflozin 10 mg/day). These results suggest that this triple combination therapy has renoprotective effects on advanced stage rapidly progressive diabetic nephropathy.

Does glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist stimulation reduce alcohol intake in patients with alcohol dependence: study protocol of a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol dependence is a major public health problem. It is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Even when treated, more than 2/3 of patients in abstinence-oriented treatment will relapse within the first year. Thus, there is an urgent need for efficacious medical treatment of alcohol dependence. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor stimulation has proven to reduce alcohol consumption in preclinical experiments. However, the effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists in humans has to our knowledge, not yet been investigated. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Design, participants and intervention: The effect of the once-weekly GLP-1-receptor-agonist exenatide will be investigated in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial. 114 outpatients will be recruited and randomised to treatment with either placebo or exenatide once weekly for 26 weeks as a supplement to cognitive-behavioural therapy. The primary endpoint is reduction in number of 'heavy drinking days'. The secondary endpoints include changes in total alcohol consumption, days without consumption, changes in brain activity and function, smoking status, cognition, measures of quality of life and changes in phosphatidylethanol as a biomarker of alcohol consumption from baseline to follow-up at week 26. Status: Currently recruiting patients. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained. Before screening, all patients will be provided oral and written information about the trial. The study results will be disseminated by peer-review publications and conference presentations and has the potential to reveal a completely new medical treatment of alcohol dependence.

Cardiovascular outcome studies with incretin-based therapies: Comparison between DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) represent two distinct classes of incretin-based therapies used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Non-inferiority versus placebo was shown in large prospective cardiovascular outcome trials in patients with high cardiovascular risk: SAVOR-TIMI 53 (saxagliptin), EXAMINE (alogliptin), and TECOS (sitagliptin); ELIXA (lixisenatide), LEADER (liraglutide) and SUSTAIN 6 (semaglutide). The promises raised by meta-analyses of phase 2-3 trials with DPP-4is were non confirmed as no cardiovascular protection could be evidenced. However, LEADER showed a significant reduction in major cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients treated by liraglutide compared to placebo. These positive results contrasted with the non-inferiority results with lixisenatide in ELIXA. They were partially confirmed with semaglutide in SUSTAIN 6 despite the absence of reduction in cardiovascular mortality. Hospitalisation for heart failure was not increased except with saxagliptin in SAVOR-TIMI 53. The reasons for different outcomes between trials remain largely unknown as well as the precise underlying mechanisms explaining the cardiovascular protection by liraglutide. The clinical relevance of results with DPP-4is and GLP-1RAs is discussed. Ongoing trials with linagliptin and several once-weekly GLP-1RAs should provide new insights into remaining fundamental questions.

Reduction of postprandial glucose by lixisenatide vs sitagliptin treatment in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes on background insulin glargine: A randomized phase IV study (NEXTAGE Study).

AIM: To evaluate the pharmacodynamics of lixisenatide once daily vs sitagliptin once daily in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes receiving insulin glargine U100. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicentre, open-label, phase IV study (NEXTAGE Study; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02200991) randomly assigned 136 patients to either lixisenatide once daily via subcutaneous injection (10 µg initially increased weekly by 5 up to 20 µg) or once-daily oral sitagliptin 50 mg. The primary endpoint was the change in postprandial glucose (PPG) exposure 4 hours after a standardized breakfast (PPG area under the plasma glucose concentration-time curve [AUC0:00-4:00h ]) from baseline to day 29. RESULTS: Lixisenatide reduced PPG exposure to a statistically significantly greater extent than sitagliptin: least squares (LS) mean change from baseline in PPG AUC0:00-4:00h was -347.3 h·mg/dL (-19.3 h·mmol/L) in the lixisenatide group and -113.3 h·mg/dL (-6.3 h·mmol/L) in the sitagliptin group (LS mean between-group difference -234.0 h·mg/dL [-13.0 h·mmol/L], 95% confidence interval -285.02 to -183.00 h·mg/dL [-15.8 to -10.2 h·mmol/L]; P < .0001). Lixisenatide led to significantly greater LS mean reductions in maximum PPG excursion than sitagliptin (-122.4 vs -46.6 mg/dL [-6.8 vs -2.6 h·mmol/L]; P < .0001). Change-from-baseline reductions in exposure to C-peptide, fasting glycoalbumin levels, and the gastric emptying rate were greater in the lixisenatide than in the sitagliptin group. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was higher with lixisenatide (60.9%) than with sitagliptin (16.4%), with no serious events or severe hypoglycaemia reported. CONCLUSION: Lixisenatide reduced PPG significantly more than sitagliptin, when these agents were added to basal insulin glargine U100, and was well tolerated.

3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes: a randomised, double-blind trial.

BACKGROUND: Liraglutide 3·0 mg was shown to reduce bodyweight and improve glucose metabolism after the 56-week period of this trial, one of four trials in the SCALE programme. In the 3-year assessment of the SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial we aimed to evaluate the proportion of individuals with prediabetes who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adults with prediabetes and a body-mass index of at least 30 kg/m2, or at least 27 kg/m2 with comorbidities, were randomised 2:1, using a telephone or web-based system, to once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide 3·0 mg or matched placebo, as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Time to diabetes onset by 160 weeks was the primary outcome, evaluated in all randomised treated individuals with at least one post-baseline assessment. The trial was conducted at 191 clinical research sites in 27 countries and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01272219. FINDINGS: The study ran between June 1, 2011, and March 2, 2015. We randomly assigned 2254 patients to receive liraglutide (n=1505) or placebo (n=749). 1128 (50%) participants completed the study up to week 160, after withdrawal of 714 (47%) participants in the liraglutide group and 412 (55%) participants in the placebo group. By week 160, 26 (2%) of 1472 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 46 (6%) of 738 in the placebo group were diagnosed with diabetes while on treatment. The mean time from randomisation to diagnosis was 99 (SD 47) weeks for the 26 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 87 (47) weeks for the 46 individuals in the placebo group. Taking the different diagnosis frequencies between the treatment groups into account, the time to onset of diabetes over 160 weeks among all randomised individuals was 2·7 times longer with liraglutide than with placebo (95% CI 1·9 to 3·9, p<0·0001), corresponding with a hazard ratio of 0·21 (95% CI 0·13-0·34). Liraglutide induced greater weight loss than placebo at week 160 (-6·1 [SD 7·3] vs -1·9% [6·3]; estimated treatment difference -4·3%, 95% CI -4·9 to -3·7, p<0·0001). Serious adverse events were reported by 227 (15%) of 1501 randomised treated individuals in the liraglutide group versus 96 (13%) of 747 individuals in the placebo group. INTERPRETATION: In this trial, we provide results for 3 years of treatment, with the limitation that withdrawn individuals were not followed up after discontinuation. Liraglutide 3·0 mg might provide health benefits in terms of reduced risk of diabetes in individuals with obesity and prediabetes. FUNDING: Novo Nordisk, Denmark.

Molecular Pharmacology of the Incretin Receptors.

The incretin hormones glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are important regulators of insulin and glucagon secretion as well as lipid metabolism and appetite. These biological functions make their respective receptors (GIPR and GLP-1R) attractive targets in the treatment of both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. The use of these native peptides in the treatment of these conditions is limited by their short half-lives. However, long-acting GLP-1R agonists and inhibitors of the enzyme that rapidly inactivates GIP and GLP-1 (dipeptidyl peptidase IV) are in clinical use. Although there is a loss of response to both hormones in T2DM, this effect appears to be more pronounced for GIP. This has made targeting GIPR less successful than GLP-1R. Furthermore, results demonstrating that GIPR knockout mice were resistant to diet-induced obesity suggested that GIPR antagonists may prove to be useful therapeutics. More recently, molecules that activate both receptors have shown promise in terms of glycemic and body weight control. This review focused on recent advances in the understanding of the signaling mechanisms and regulation of these two clinically important receptors.

Cardiovascular safety of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist taspoglutide in people with type 2 diabetes: an individual participant data meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

AIMS: To study the short-term cardiovascular effects of the once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist taspoglutide. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of individual-participant data from nine randomized controlled trials in the T-Emerge programme, which assessed the efficacy and safety of taspoglutide in type 2 diabetes. Our primary outcome was a composite of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and acute myocardial infarction, stroke and hospitalization for unstable angina. RESULTS: Overall, 7056 individuals were included in the analysis, and there were 67 primary endpoint events during 7478 person-years of follow-up (40 vs 27 events in the intervention vs control groups, respectively). The odds ratio for the composite endpoint among people randomized to taspoglutide was 0.94 (95% confidence interval 0.57-1.56), which was robust across multiple subgroups. Longer-term data were not available as the development of taspoglutide was stopped because of gastrointestinal intolerance and serious hypersensitivity reactions. CONCLUSIONS: The available data suggest that short-term, once-weekly administration of taspoglutide was not associated with an excess risk of CVD, and provide insights relevant to the development of other novel once-weekly incretin mimetics.