Clinical Outcomes of Switching to Insulin Glargine 300 U/ml from Other Basal Insulins in People with Type 2 Diabetes in Italy: A Real-World Study

INTRODUCTION: Primary aim was to provide real-world evidence of the outcomes after the switch to glargine 300 U/ml (Gla-300) from other basal insulins (first or second generation) in Italy. METHODS: Multicenter, observational, retrospective study based on electronic medical records. RESULTS: Overall, 953 T2DM insulin ± OAD treated people switched to Gla-300 or Gla-100 from January 2015 to July 2018. Three clinically relevant cohorts were identified: patients switching to Gla-300 from first-generation basal insulin (cohort 1), patients switching to Gla-300 from degludec-100 (Deg-100) (cohort 2), and those switching to Gla-100 from any basal insulin (cohort 3). The three cohorts differed in terms of age, diabetes duration, and metabolic control. HbA1c changes after 6 months from the switch were − 0.27% (95% CI − 0.38; − 0.16), − 0.06% (95% CI − 0.31; 0.19), and − 0.30% (95% CI − 0.51; − 0.09) in the three cohorts, respectively. FPG significantly decreased in cohort 1 (− 14.07 mg/dl, 95% CI − 20.25; − 7.89), while body weight significantly decreased in cohort 2 (− 1.47 kg, 95% CI − 2.55; − 0.39). Doses of insulin marginally changed during the follow-up (+ 0.89 U in basal insulin daily dose in cohort 1 and + 2.07 U in short-acting insulin daily dose in cohort 2). CONCLUSIONS: Switching to Gla-300 from first-generation basal insulin in the real world is associated with improvements in metabolic control despite a suboptimal titration of both basal and short-acting insulins. Inertia in insulin titration documented in the Gla-100 cohort is also observed with the second-generation basal insulin. The switch to Gla-300 from Deg-100 was associated with a decrease in body weight of − 1.47 kg despite a slight increase in short-acting insulin daily doses of about + 2 U.