When treated with once-daily Ryzodeg, people with type 2 diabetes achieved similar blood sugar control with half the number of daily injections, significantly lower total daily insulin dose and significantly reduced the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia in the Step by Step trial compared with once-daily insulin glargine U100 plus once-daily insulin aspart after 26 weeks.
Ryzodeg® by Novo Nordisk is a combination of insulin degludec and insulin aspart (IDegAsp) in one pen for the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes.
The results from the Step by Step trial were presented today at the 54th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD 2018) in Berlin, Germany.
Ryzodeg insulin by Novo Nordisk
“Complicated treatment regimens that require multiple injections at different times of day can be difficult for patients to adhere to, potentially leading to poor blood sugar control,” said Dr Athena Philis-Tsimikas, Step by Step lead investigator and corporate vice president, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute.
“These trial results show that once-daily IDegAsp can offer people with type 2 diabetes a much simpler option with fewer injections compared with insulin glargine U100 plus insulin aspart, to achieve effective blood sugar control.”
After 26 weeks, people in the once-daily Ryzodeg® treatment arm received 50% fewer injections and significantly fewer total daily insulin units (12%) compared with insulin glargine U100 plus insulin aspart.
Once-daily Ryzodeg® demonstrated a statistically significant 45% lower rate of nocturnal severe or blood glucose (BG)-confirmed symptomatic hypoglycemic episodes compared with insulin glargine U100 plus insulin aspart after 26 weeks. The rate of overall severe or BGconfirmed hypoglycaemic episodes was numerically lower for once-daily Ryzodeg® compared with insulin glargine U100 plus insulin aspart.
“Hypoglycaemic episodes, especially at night, are often frightening for people with diabetes. Not only does once-daily Ryzodeg® offer a much simpler solution but it also significantly reduces the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia compared with basal-bolus treatment,” said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and chief science officer of Novo Nordisk.
“By reducing the number of daily injections, we hope that Ryzodeg® can help reduce the burden of diabetes, and make it easier for people with diabetes to comply with treatment and help them towards achieving better outcomes.”
The Step by Step trial compared the efficacy and safety of Ryzodeg® with insulin glargine U100 plus insulin aspart in people with type 2 diabetes treated with basal insulin, with or without oral antidiabetic treatment in need of insulin intensification. The trial was a 38-week, international, open-label, randomized, treat-to-target trial involving 532 adults from seven countries.
