Insulin product to revolutionize mgmt of diabetes

An insulin product is expected to revolutionize the management of diabetes as it was found to be capable of reducing the risk of hypoglycemia among patients, the results of a clinical trial showed recently.

According to Normal Nor Chan, secretary of the Hong Kong Atherosclerosis, the results of the first “head to head” clinical trial have revealed that insulin glargine injection 300 Units/mL was not inferior to insulin degludec in adults with Type 2 diabetes.

He said the BRIGHT study is about a head-to-head clinical trial to compare insulin glargine injection 300 Units/ mL and insulin degludec, the two “new generation basal insulin” in adults with Type 2 diabetes. It has not yet been published in full paper but was released recently in the American Diabetes Association.

“That means one drug versus another drug of the same class were compared. There are different types of insulin – there are fast acting, and there are long acting. This is long acting,” noted Chan who is also an honorary associate professor at the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the Prince of Wales Hospital and Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Chan added there are other long acting insulin “but these two are the new generation insulin so they are better than others.”

The results of the six months clinical trial showed that a “major difference in hypo- glycemia incidents” among diabetes patients on insulin gargline compared to those given insulin degludec.

“This trial shows that both insulin are equally effective in lowering blood glucose ….. For side effects, (gargline) is slightly better because it causes less hypoglycemia which means low blood sugar,” he said.

The expert maintained that hypoglycemia “almost always happen with any insulin no mater how good the insulin is because when the dosage is increased, the glucose falls.”

And, for instance, when a patient forgets to eat after taking insulin, the glucose will fall further posing possible serious risks to patients, like having a heart attack.

Price difference

In the similar interview, Philippine Society of Diabetologist president Grace delos Santos said the findings are very important for patients on insulin because hypoglycemia is a concern for them.

“I think this trial can give doctors an idea on how they will manage their patients considering that the prices between the two products is a lot different,” she added.

Delos Santos said that “pen per pen,” the two products are almost of the same costs but insulin gargline has 450 units while degludec contains only 300 units, thus, providing the difference in prices.

“This will be a big boost in the management of diabetes considering the aspects of prices and hypoglycemia,” she said.

The two drugs are already available in the Philippines.