A Propensity Score Matched Comparison of Brand and Biosimilar Basal Insulin in Non-Critical Hospitalized Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

INTRODUCTION: Comparisons between brand and biosimilar basal insulin in hospitalized patients are lacking. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of brand insulin glargine vs. biosimilar insulin glargine in non-critical hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted using the electronic medical records of 194,006 patients at the Qingdao Endocrine and Diabetes Hospital between January 2006 and December 2017. A total of 476 patients diagnosed with T2DM, hospitalized, and treated with subcutaneous insulin glargine were included. After propensity score matching (1:3), patients who received biosimilar insulin glargine (Basalin) (n = 34) were compared to a matched group of patients who received brand insulin glargine (Lantus) (n = 101). Outcome measures were changes in fasting blood glucose (FBG), the incidence of hypoglycemia, and insulin dose. RESULTS: Compared to patients who received Basalin, patients who received Lantus achieved more reduction in FBG during insulin treatment (− 1.24 mmol/L vs. − 2.20 mmol/L; p = 0.04) and had a lower mean FBG at the end of treatment (8.20 mmol/L vs. 7.26 mmol/L; p = 0.12). Patients in Basalin and Lantus groups had a comparable mean daily dose of basal insulin at initiation (0.19 vs. 0.18 IU/kg; p = 0.30) and end of treatment (0.21 vs. 0.21 IU/kg; p = 0.99), and a similar duration of basal insulin treatment (16.4 vs. 15.3 days; p = 0.74). Hypoglycemia was infrequent in both Basalin and Lantus treatment (one vs. four patients, respectively; p = 1.00) and no severe hypoglycemic events were reported. CONCLUSION: In a non-critical hospital setting, subcutaneous treatment with Lantus brought significant FBG improvement without increased hypoglycemic risk.