The first trial for the new treatment therapy involved 205 participants from seven countries — the U.S., Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain — and included a two-week screening period, 16 weeks of treatment and five weeks of follow-up. It focused on finding the best balance between lowering glucose levels while decreasing low-glucose events.
The second trial involved 154 patients from five countries — the U.S., Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Italy — with a similar time frame and sought to determine the best way to move patients from daily to weekly dosing. The team found starting with a higher amount of insulin, what they called a loading dose, helped patients reach optimal glucose levels more quickly. Bigger things lie ahead, according to Lingvay.
“These two studies served as the stepping stones for a large phase 3 clinical trial program that is currently ongoing at UT Southwestern and other sites, which is designed to evaluate the efficacy of once-weekly insulin administration in patients with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes,” she said, adding the new therapy holds profound implications for people with diabetes and their caregivers.
“A weekly insulin is a game-changer that will decrease the treatment burden for patients while also improving compliance. This treatment will also decrease the burden on those who care for patients with diabetes requiring insulin,” she added. “For example, for patients who need help injecting, those living in long-term care facilities, and those with memory problems, a once-weekly insulin will facilitate treatment and decrease the burden on the care providers.
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)