• Lena Landstedt-Hallin.
• a Karolinska Institutet , Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Medicine , Danderyd Hospital , Stockholm , Sweden.
• Curr Med Res Opin. 2015 Aug 1; 31 (8): 148714931487-93.

ObjectiveInsulin degludec, a basal insulin with an ultra-long duration of action, became available in Sweden from July 2013. The diabetes team at Danderyd Hospital decided to perform a clinical follow-up of patients with type 1 diabetes switching to insulin degludec to evaluate its clinical performance, using a simple form and available measures, thereby indirectly assessing cost-effectiveness.Research Design And MethodsThis was a prospective, open-label, single-arm, observational, clinical follow-up from August 2013 to February 2015 of consecutive patients who switched to insulin degludec according to predefined indications (i.e., currently administering basal insulin twice daily, unacceptable HbA1c, repeated hypoglycemic events and/or unstable glucose, difficulty with fixed-time administration) in conjunction with professional judgment and patient wishes. Information about HbA1c, insulin dose and frequency of hypoglycemia (self-reported by patient recall) was collected at baseline and repeated after 4-6 months.ResultsIn February 2015, data were available on 357 patients. Median time to follow-up was 20 weeks. Mean (SD) HbA1c decreased from 68.9 (15.7) to 65.8 (14.3) mmol/mol, p < 0.0001, and this improvement was achieved despite less insulin. Median reduction of the total insulin dose (basal + prandial) was 12% (interquartile range [IQR] -20% to -3%). The mean (SD) number of self-reported hypoglycemic events in the previous 4 weeks decreased from 8.2 (8.9) to 6.4 (7.6) events, p < 0.0001, and nocturnal hypoglycemic events were reduced from 1.6 (2.9) to 0.7 (2.0) events, p < 0.0001.ConclusionDue to improvement in glycemic control, reduction of hypoglycemic events and reduction of insulin dose, we concluded that insulin degludec was clinically useful and economically justifiable for our patients with type 1 diabetes. Not every patient may benefit to the same degree after switching to insulin degludec. Controlled studies are needed to confirm these benefits in a larger sample of real-world patients.

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