In a nutshell
The study investigated the safety and effectiveness of LY2963016 insulin glargine (LY IGlar). It was concluded that LY IGlar is as effective and well-tolerated as current standard insulin glargine (Lantus).
Some background
Insulin glargine is a long-acting form of insulin. Long-acting insulin is often used to provide stable blood insulin levels throughout the day. Insulin glargine was the first long-acting insulin approved for the treatment of diabetes.
LY2963016 Insulin glargine, or LY IGlar for short, is a biosimilar insulin. This means that it has the same structure as the regular insulin glargine, but a different manufacturing process was used to make it. Therefore, the safety and effectiveness of the new biosimilar insulin must be investigated.
Methods & findings
The current study looked at the safety and effectiveness of the new LY IGlar. 452 patients with type 1 and 299 patients with type 2 diabetes previously using standard insulin glargine were included in this study. Patients were then randomly assigned to receive either the new LY IGlar or continue to receive standard insulin glargine. The study compared treatment effectiveness and safety over 24 weeks.
Overall, LY IGlar was as effective as standard insulin glargine at maintaining glycemic control among both type 1 and type 2 diabetics.
Some slight differences were noted between treatment groups. Increased weight gains were noted among type 1 diabetics treated with LY IGlar compared with standard insulin glargine. Type 2 diabetics treated with new LY IGlar were less likely to report side-effects compared to standard insulin glargine treated patients. However, these differences were not consistent, and were not found statistically significant.
The bottom line
The study concluded that new LY IGlar was a well-tolerated and effective treatment option for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Published By :
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
Date :
Jan 09, 2016
