No Hypoglycemia With Once-Weekly Insulin? Questions Remain
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The investigational once-weekly basal insulin icodec (Novo Nordisk) did not lead to increased hypoglycemia compared with once-daily insulin glargine U100 in patients with type 2 diabetes, even with intentionally doubled and tripled doses of both the agents, new research finds. Insulin icodec works by reversibly binding to albumin, thereby slowing the release of the active insulin analogue. It has a half-life of about 1 week, with nearly even distribution of the glucose-lowering effect over the course of that week. Some have called it a potential game-changer that could reduce treatment burden and improve compliance.
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@harish Results from the new randomized, open-label, two-period crossover study comparing the two insulins were presented by Thomas Pieber, MD, on June 5 at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 82nd Scientific Sessions. In the study, insulin icodec once weekly for 6 weeks was compared with glargine U100 once daily for 11 days, with single evaluations of doubling and tripling the doses during those periods. There were no differences in hypoglycemia between the two insulins, although some differences were found in other hormonal responses, said Pieber, who is head of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at the Medical University of Graz, Austria.