A Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of New-Formulation Zenon (Rosuvastatin/Ezetimibe Fixed-Dose Combination) in Primary Hypercholesterolemia Inadequately Controlled by Statins.

OBJECTIVE: In primary hypercholesterolemia many people treated with statins do not reach their plasma LDL-C goals and are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to evaluate efficacy and safety of a new fixed-dose combination (FDC) formulation of rosuvastatin/ezetimibe (R/E) in this population. METHODS: This was a multicenter, multinational, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, parallel-arm study of FDC R/E in people with primary hypercholesterolemia at very high risk (VHR) or high risk (HR) of CVD, inadequately controlled with 20 mg or 10 mg stable daily dose of rosuvastatin or equipotent dose of another statin. The primary objective was to demonstrate superiority of FDC R/E versus rosuvastatin monotherapy uptitrated to 40 mg (R40) or 20 mg (R20) in reduction of LDL-C after 6 weeks. RESULTS: Randomized VHR participants (n = 244) were treated with R40, R40/E10, or R20/E10; randomized HR participants (n = 208) received R10/E10 or R20. In VHR participants, superiority of R40/E10 and R20/E10 versus R40 was demonstrated on LDL-C percent change from baseline to Week 6 with least squares mean differences (LSMD) of -19.66% (95% CI: -29.48% to -9.84%; P < .001) and -12.28% (95% CI: -22.12% to -2.44%; P = .015), respectively. In HR participants, superiority of R10/E10 over R20 was not demonstrated (LSMD -5.20%; 95% CI: -15.18% to 4.78%; P = .306), despite clinically relevant LDL-C reduction with R10/E10. No unexpected safety findings were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that R/E FDCs improve LDL-C reduction and goal achievement in people with primary hypercholesterolemia inadequately controlled with statins and at VHR/HR of CVD.

Efficacy and Safety of Insulin Glargine 300 U/mL in People with Type 2 Diabetes Uncontrolled on Basal Insulin: The 26-Week Interventional, Single-Arm ARTEMIS-DM Study.

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy and safety of switching to insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) uncontrolled on basal insulin (BI) has been demonstrated in the North American and Western European populations; however, there is limited data from other geographical regions with different ethnicities. The ARTEMIS-DM study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Gla-300 in people with T2DM uncontrolled on BI from Asia, Latin America and Middle East Africa. METHODS: The ARTEMIS-DM was a 26-week, prospective, interventional, single-arm, phase IV study (NCT03760991). Adults with T2DM previously uncontrolled (glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c] 7.5-10%) on BI were switched to Gla-300. The primary endpoint was change in HbA1c from baseline to 26 weeks. Key secondary endpoints were changes in HbA1c (week 12), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), self-monitored plasma glucose (SMPG) and BI dose from baseline to week 26. The safety and tolerability of Gla-300 were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 372 (50% male) participants were included, with mean (standard deviation [SD]) age 60.9 (10.0) years, duration of diabetes 13.11 (7.48) years and baseline HbA1c 8.67 (0.77)% (71.22 [8.44] mmol/mol). A total of 222 (59.7%) participants were using insulin glargine 100 U/mL and 107 (28.8%) were using neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin as previous BI. There were clinically significant reductions in mean HbA1c (- 0.82%; primary endpoint), FPG and SMPG levels at week 26. With a pre-defined titration algorithm, mean Gla-300 dose increased from 27.48 U (0.35 U/kg) at baseline to 39.01 U (0.50 U/kg) at week 26. Hypoglycaemia events occurred in 20.4% of the participants; 1 (0.3%) participant had a severe hypoglycaemia event. CONCLUSION: In people with T2DM uncontrolled on previous BI, switching to Gla-300 with optimal titration guided by an algorithm was associated with improved glycaemic control and low incidence of hypoglycaemia across multiple geographic regions. GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03760991.

Real-world safety and effectiveness of insulin glargine 300 U/mL in participants with type 2 diabetes who fast during Ramadan: The observational ORION study.

AIMS: ORION evaluated the safety and effectiveness of Gla-300 in insulin-treated people with T2DM before, during and after Ramadan, in a real-world setting. METHODS: This prospective, observational study across 11 countries included participants with T2DM treated with Gla-300 in pre-Ramadan, Ramadan and post-Ramadan periods. The primary endpoint was the percentage of participants experiencing ≥1 event of severe and/or symptomatic documented hypoglycaemia with self-monitored plasma glucose (SMPG) ≤70 mg/dL during Ramadan. Secondary endpoints included change in HbA1c and insulin dose and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: The mean ± SD number of fasting days was 30.1 ± 3.2. The percentage of participants experiencing ≥1 event of severe and/or symptomatic documented hypoglycaemia (SMPG ≤70 [<54] mg/dL) was low in the pre-Ramadan (2.2% [0.8%]), Ramadan (2.6% [0%]) and post-Ramadan (0.2% [0%]) periods. No participants reported severe hypoglycaemia during Ramadan or post-Ramadan; one participant reported severe hypoglycaemia in pre-Ramadan. HbA1c fell pre- to post-Ramadan, and Gla-300 daily dose (mean ± SD) was reduced pre-Ramadan to Ramadan (from 25.6 ± 11.9 U/0.32 ± 0.14 U/kg to 24.4 ± 11.5 U/0.30 ± 0.13 U/kg). Incidence of AEs was 5.5%. CONCLUSIONS: In ORION, people with T2DM treated with Gla-300 who fasted during Ramadan had a low risk of severe/symptomatic hypoglycaemia and improved glycaemic control.

Real-world outcomes of treatment with insulin glargine 300 U/mL versus standard-of-care in people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To compare real-world outcomes with newer (insulin glargine 300 U/mL; Gla-300) versus standard of care (SoC) basal insulins (BIs) in the REACH (insulin-naïve; NCT02967224) and REGAIN (basal insulin-treated; NCT02967211) studies in participants with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Europe and Brazil.Methods: In these open-label, parallel-group, pragmatic studies, patients (HbA1c > 7.0%) were randomized to Gla-300 or SoC BI for a 6-month treatment period (to demonstrate non-inferiority of Gla-300 vs SoC BIs for HbA1c change [non-inferiority margin 0.3%]) and a 6-month extension period (continuing with their assigned treatment). Insulin titration/other medication changes were at investigator/patient discretion post-randomization.Results: Overall, 703 patients were randomized to treatment in REACH (Gla-300, n = 352; SoC, n = 351) and 609 (Gla-300, n = 305, SoC, n = 304) in REGAIN. The primary outcome, non-inferiority of Gla-300 versus SoC for HbA1c change from baseline to month 6, was met in REACH (least squares [LS] mean difference 0.12% [95% CI -0.046 to 0.281]) but not REGAIN (LS mean difference 0.17% [0.015-0.329]); no between-treatment difference in HbA1c change was shown after 12 months in either study. BI dose increased minimally from baseline to 12 months in REACH (Gla-300, +0.17 U/kg; SoC, +0.15 U/kg) and REGAIN (Gla-300, +0.11 U/kg; SoC, +0.07 U/kg). Hypoglycemia incidence was low and similar between treatment arms in both studies.Conclusions: In both REACH and REGAIN, no differences in glycemic control or hypoglycemia outcomes with Gla-300 versus SoC BIs were seen over 12 months. However, the suboptimal insulin titration in REACH and REGAIN limits comparisons of outcomes between treatment arms and suggests that more titration instruction/support may be required for patients to fully derive the benefits from newer basal insulin formulations.