Combination therapy of glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists and insulin for patients who developed diabetes after partial pancreatectomy

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: It is known that after pancreatectomy, patients experience hyposecretion of endogenous insulin and frequently develop diabetes. However, it has been unclear whether combination therapy with glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists and basal insulin is effective for such patients. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with long‐acting insulin glargine and the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist lixisenatide in patients who developed diabetes after pancreatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Japanese patients who developed diabetes after pancreatectomy were eligible for this study. Participants were treated with combination therapy of glargine and lixisenatide for 12 weeks. Fasting and postprandial plasma glucose, C‐peptide immunoreactivity, glycated hemoglobin, bodyweight, visceral fat and subcutaneous fat were measured. RESULTS: At 12 weeks after initiation of lixisenatide, glycated hemoglobin levels decreased from 8.46 ± 1.64% to 6.81 ± 1.15%. In addition, 1‐h postprandial plasma glucose and 2‐h postprandial plasma glucose levels significantly decreased from 222.9 ± 56.2 mg/dL to 125.1 ± 37.5 mg/dL (P < 0.001) and from 247.5 ± 56.8 mg/dL to 115.1 ± 29.0 mg/dL (P < 0.001), respectively. Neither hypoglycemia nor clinically relevant adverse events occurred during this study. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that combination therapy with basal insulin and glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists after partial pancreatectomy can be a useful therapeutic option for providing effective glycemic control with a reduced risk of hypoglycemia.