Effects of initiation and titration of a single pre-prandial dose of insulin glulisine while continuing titrated insulin glargine in type 2 diabetes: a 6-month 'proof-of-concept' study

Aim: Stepwise intensification of insulin treatment to match the progressive decline of endogenous insulin secretion has been shown to be an effective management strategy in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The efficacy of initiating and titrating a single bolus dose of insulin glulisine to baseline insulin glargine plus oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHAs) was investigated. Methods: This was a 6‐month, parallel‐group, randomized, open‐label, Phase IV study conducted in the US, UK and Russia. People with T2DM (HbA_1c 7.5–9.5%) using any basal insulin underwent a 3‐month run‐in period on insulin glargine titrated to optimize fasting blood glucose (BG) control. Those with HbA_1c >7.0% were randomized to either continue prior therapy (n = 57) or to add a single dose of insulin glulisine (n = 49) immediately prior to the main meal for a further 3 months. Two different titration algorithms were employed for the bolus dose, targeting 2‐h postprandial BG ≤135 mg/dL (≤7.5 mmol/l; Russia and UK) or pre‐meal/bedtime BG 100–120 mg/dl (5.5–6.7 mmol/l; US). Results: HbA_1c and fasting plasma glucose levels decreased during the run‐in period. In the 3 months after randomization, more participants in the basal‐plus‐bolus group reached HbA_1c <7.0% than the basal‐only control group (22.4 vs. 8.8%; p < 0.05), with significantly greater reduction of HbA_1c (?0.37 vs. ?0.11%; p = 0.0290). Rates of hypoglycaemia and mean weight change were comparable between the treatment groups. Conclusions: In people with T2DM inadequately controlled on basal insulin plus OHAs, adding a single injection of insulin glulisine prior to the main meal significantly improves glucose control without undesired side effects.