Patients are more likely to reach A1c target at any given time during 26 weeks' treatment with liraglutide compared with both sitagliptin and exenatide (#372)
Objective: Timely attainment of target A1c levels improves patient adherence during intensification of type 2 diabetes (T2D) therapy.
Methods: In a post-hoc analysis, we analyzed proportions of patients reaching ADA target A1c <7.0% at 12, 20, and 26 weeks in two Phase 3b trials: liraglutide (n=233) vs. exenatide BID (n=231) (LEAD-6) and liraglutide OD (1.2 mg: n=221 and 1.8 mg: n=218) vs. sitagliptin OD (n=219) (LIRA–DPP-4). The "time to A1c target” was further analyzed by a Cox proportional hazards model with treatment and previous OAD treatment as fixed effects, and baseline A1c as covariate.
Results: First time to A1c target data demonstrated that a greater proportion of patients achieved glycemic target with liraglutide than with exenatide BID or sitagliptin. In LEAD-6, the estimated odds ratio was 1.50 [95% CI: 1.17; 1.92]; estimated chance of reaching target during the treatment period is 50% higher with liraglutide 1.8 mg than with exenatide BID (p<0.0068). In LIRA–DPP-4, odds ratios were 1.76 [95% CI: 1.32; 2.34] and 2.13 [95% CI: 1.62; 2.82] for liraglutide 1.2 and 1.8 mg compared with sitagliptin, respectively (p<0.0030; p<0.0001).
Discussion: We demonstrate that the timely achievement of target A1c levels is more likely with liraglutide compared with sitagliptin or exenatide BID.
Conclusion: Treatment adherence with liraglutide may be greater compared with sitagliptin or exenatide BID when used to intensify T2D therapy in patients not at target A1c.