Use of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist to sustain patients off basal-bolus insulin regimens.

Background: The 2024 Standards of Care in Diabetes recommend initiation of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) prior to starting basal insulin and to reconsider initiating a GLP-1 RA before starting bolus insulin if not already initiated. GLP-1 RA addition leads to improved glycemic benefits as well as risk reduction of cardiovascular and renal outcomes in patients with a history of these events. While there is evidence demonstrating the trends of insulin reduction or discontinuation following GLP-1 RA initiation, data regarding longer-term durability of GLP-1 RA use to sustain patients off bolus insulin are lacking.

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to assess the percentage of patients remaining off bolus insulin after transitioning from a basal-bolus regimen to GLP-1 RA therapy with basal insulin over a period of 3 years.

Methods: We conducted a single centered, retrospective study analyzing patient data from July 2018 through July 2023. Patients were included if they had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, were on a basal-bolus insulin regimen, had a GLP-1 RA initiated followed by bolus insulin discontinuation within 90 days, and remained on a GLP-1 RA for at least 6 months. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients who were sustained off bolus insulin after 3 years following GLP-1 RA initiation.

Results: There were 252 patients included. At 3 years, 82.6% of patients were sustained off bolus insulin. The mean change in weight at 3 years was -8.5 kg. The mean A1c initially decreased from 8.6% to 7.8%, but then increased slightly to 8.1% at the end of the study timeframe.

Conclusion: This trial demonstrated the majority of patients on basal-bolus regimens where bolus insulin was replaced with a GLP-1 RA were sustained off bolus insulin for a 3 year period of time. These results highlight the promising durability of converting bolus insulin to GLP-1 RAs.