What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 399 patients with type 2 diabetes. The study was sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
The once-weekly insulin caused 25% fewer low blood sugar episodes compared to daily insulin.
The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology · 2023 · NCT03736785
These findings — that weekly insulin caused fewer dangerous blood sugar drops than daily insulin — were published in the The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 399 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with type 2 diabetes, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This treatment is still in testing and not yet FDA-approved. If you're on daily insulin and struggling with the routine, this research suggests a once-weekly option might work just as well with fewer lows. Talk to your doctor about whether you might qualify for a clinical trial testing this approach.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open type 2 diabetes trials
The Effect of Glycemic Control and of GLP-1 Receptor Agonism on Islet GLP-1 in People With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
The investigators recently demonstrated that blockade of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1's (GLP-1) receptor (GLP1R) results in changes in islet function without changes in circulating GLP-1. These effects are more pronounced in people with early type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in keeping with increased expression of PC-1/3 and GLP-1 that is observed in diabetic islets. However, its regulation is at present unknown. There is evidence that α-cell proglucagon processing is subject to paracrine regulation by the β-cell3. It is unclear if the effects of GLP1R agonism on islet GLP-1 differ in Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) compared to T2DM. This experiment will examine the effect of glycemic control ± a GLP1R agonist on islet GLP-1 in people with (T2DM) and without (T1DM) β-cells.
Screening for Type 2 Diabetes by Oral Glucose Tolerance Test in the Population Groups Not Diagnosed by Fasting Blood Glucose in Guadeloupe
In France, only the fasting blood glucose (FBG) measurement is recommended for diabetes screening. Ethnic heterogeneity and genetic polymorphisms specific to the Afro-Caribbean and Indo-Caribbean population in Guadeloupe justify the interest to early screen type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our main objective is to estimate the prevalence of T2DM defined by oral glucose tolerance (OGTT) in subjects with risk factors for T2DM and not diagnosed with the FBG.