Issue 125 Item 9 Weight loss with Detemir Insulin Gives Added Therapeutic Value

The weight gain experienced by thousands of people with diabetes who rely upon multiple injections of insulin may soon be a thing of the past In three clinical trials reported at the EASD conference in September– conducted with a total of more than 1,300 people with diabetes – the weight loss achieved with once-daily administration of insulin Detemir represented a significant therapeutic benefit, according to the lead author of one of the studies, Dr Eberhard Standl.

Insulin Detemir is a soluble basal insulin analogue with neutral pH and a unique mechanism of protraction providing a smooth and predictable action profile.

Dr Standl, from Munich Diabetes Research Institute, Germany, commented: “The fact that insulin Detemir is associated with such favorable effects on body weight represents a significant clinical benefit, in addition to the many other advantages this new agent offers over other forms of insulin.”

The showed a very favorable outcome on weight with a significant weight loss for insulin Detemir(2). These findings were supported by a third study in which the authors observed a decrease in body weight for the insulin Detemir group and an increase for the standard Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin group after 6 months treatment(3).

All three studies show that at the same level of glycemic control as measured by HbA1C, insulin Detemir provides a significant reduction in body weight and reduced risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia. Highlights of these studies are summarized in this PDF chart Insulin Detemir is now undergoing further Phase 3 clinical trials in people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and actively regulate how our bodies process and use fats. Future drug discovery may depend on the role of fat itself.” Nature Med 2002 University Of Pennsylvania Medical Center