Type 2 diabetes: real world data shows reduced blood sugar levels in patients treated with Xultophy

Newly published data from real-world European clinical practice has shown that Xultophy (insulin degludec/liraglutide), from Novo Nordisk, significantly reduced blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes after six months. The study looked at people with type 2 diabetes who were treatment-naïve or who had been switched to treatment with Xultophy from any combination of oral antidiabetic drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues, and/or insulin regimens in real-world clinical practice.

The European Xultophy Treatment Retrospective Audit (EXTRA) study was a European, multicentre, retrospective chart review which included 611 people with type 2 diabetes of at least 18 years of age, who started on Xultophy at least six months prior to the start of the study. In the study population, Xultophy delivered a significant overall decrease in mean blood sugar (HbA1c) of 0.9% to 7.5% at six months. Regardless of which treatment the study participants were switched from, the average decrease in blood sugar was significant. The average dose of Xultophy was 30 dose steps (representing 30 units of insulin) at six months, significantly lower than 50 dose steps which is the maximum approved dose of Xultophy.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. See: "Use and effectiveness of a fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec/liraglutide (IDegLira) in a real-world population with type 2 diabetes: Results from a European, multicentre, retrospective chart review study." Price H, Bluher M, Prager R, et al. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2017.