title: Adjunctive therapy with pramlintide lowers HbA1c without concomitant weight gain and increased risk of severe hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes approaching glycemic targets.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In long-term clinical trials in patients with type 1 diabetes spanning a wide range of HbA1c, addition of pramlintide to existing insulin regimens led to reductions in HbA1c that were accompanied by weight loss and no increase in overall severe hypoglycemia event rates. Given that weight gain and increased hypoglycemia risk contribute to the difficulty of attaining HbA1c targets (<7 %), the question arose whether pramlintide could benefit patients approaching, but not reaching glycemic targets with insulin alone. To address this question, we conducted a pooled analysis from 3 long-term clinical trials, including all patients with an entry HbA1c between 7.0 % and 8.5 %.
  
  
  METHODS
  Within the subset of patients with an entry HbA1c between 7.0 % and 8.5 % (approximately 28 % of all patients enrolled in the 3 studies), 196 were treated with placebo + insulin (baseline HbA1c 7.9+/-0.4 %, body weight 76.0+/-14.3 kg [mean+/-SD]) and 281 with pramlintide+insulin (baseline HbA1c 7.9+/-0.4 %, body weight 75.4+/-13.1 kg). Endpoints included placebo-corrected changes from baseline to week 26 in HbA1c, body weight, and the event rate of severe hypoglycemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjunctive therapy with pramlintide resulted in significant reductions in HbA1c and body weight from baseline to week 26 (0.3 % and 1.8 kg, placebo-corrected treatment differences, respectively, both p<or=0.0009). These changes occurred without an increase in the overall risk of severe hypoglycemia (1.40 pramlintide vs. 1.86 placebo, events/patient-year of exposure).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Addition of pramlintide to insulin therapy may help patients with type 1 diabetes who are approaching, but not yet reaching, glycemic targets with insulin alone to achieve further reductions in HbA1c without concomitant weight gain and increased risk of severe hypoglycemia.
authors.affiliation: MedStar Clinical Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ratner
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Fineman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strobel
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Maggs
authors.forename: O G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Kolterman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000682:Amyloid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058228:Islet Amyloid Polypeptide; D008297:Male; D010919:Placebos; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D058228:Islet Amyloid Polypeptide; D010919:Placebos; C105254:pramlintide