Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist therapy is more efficacious than insulin glargine for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to compare the reported efficacy and safety of glucagon-like peptide-l receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) and insulin glargine (IGlar) for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov were carried out. References and cited papers of relevant articles were also checked.

RESULTS

Seven trials met the inclusion criteria. GLP-1RA showed equivalent or superior efficacy to IGlar for reducing hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), with a greater proportion of patients achieving HbAlc<7%. GLP-1RA also favored decreased body weight, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Serious adverse events were uncommon and not significantly different. More patients taking GLP-1RA experienced gastrointestinal complications: nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Severe hypoglycemia events were rare, and minor hypoglycemia was less common for GLP-1RA.

CONCLUSIONS

GLP-1RA showed greater efficacy compared to IGlar for type 2 diabetes, and it may also prove beneficial for other diabetes-associated characteristics, including obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.

© 2014 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.