Characterization of patients on IDegLira therapy in Lombardy: a real-world data collection

Background: titratable fixed-ratio coformulation of basal insulin and GLP1-RA are currently available for type 2 diabetes (T2D) treatment. Aims: to characterize patients with T2D who started basal insulin Degludec/Liraglutide (IDegLira) therapy in a real-world setting in Lombardy (Italy) from 04/2022 to 10/2023. Methods: a multi-center, single-arm, retrospective, observational study was conducted on 554 adult patients. Patients’ characteristics and laboratory parameters were collected at the time of the first prescription of IDegLira (baseline) and after 6 months. As primary end-point we considered long-term glycemic control (HbA1c levels change). Others relevant clinical parameters and prescription patterns were evaluated as secondary end-points. Chi-squared test was used for comparison with p<0.05 as statistically significant. Results: after 6 months the proportion of patients reaching the goal of HbA1c ≤7% was significantly improved (from 13% to 47%, p<0.0001). Among those with HbA1c >7% there was a significant reduction in the proportion of those with values >8% (from 53% to 15%, p<0.0001). The proportion of patients reaching a Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) <130 mg/dl was also improved (from 23% to 59%, p<0.0001) with a marked improvement in hypoglycemia rate (from 20% to 6%, p<0.0001). BMI was not significantly affected and the proportion of patients with BMI>25 remained overall stable throughout the observation period (from 81% to 77%, p=0.14). Conclusion: IDegLira improves glycemic control in a population of T2D patients. Moreover, these results occurred with an improvement in hypoglycemia rate and with no detrimental effects on BMI.