Effectiveness of Dulaglutide in the Real World and in Special Populations of Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Abstract Context In randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients, the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist (GLP-RA) dulaglutide reduced HbA1c and body weight, but generalizability of such findings to real-world T2D patients is challenging. Objective We evaluated effectiveness of dulaglutide in routine clinical practice, especially in subgroups of patient that are underrepresented in RCTs. Design Retrospective multicenter study. Setting Diabetes outpatient clinics. Patients and intervention All consecutive patients who initiated dulaglutide between 2015 and 2018. Main outcome measures Changes in HbA1c and body weight were assessed up to 30 months after baseline. Effectiveness was analyzed in patient subgroups according to: prior use of GLP-1RA, persistence on treatment and dose, age, sex, disease duration, renal function, obesity, cardiovascular disease, or concomitant use of insulin or sulphonylurea. Results From a background population of 83,116 patients, 2084 initiated dulaglutide (15.3% switching from another GLP-1RA), 1307 of whom had at least 1 follow-up visit. Overall, dulaglutide reduced HbA1c by 1.0% and body weight by 2.9 kg at the end of observation. These effects were more pronounced in GLP-1RA-naïve patients and in those with shorter disease duration. Improvement in HbA1c was highly significant and consistent across all subgroups, including those aged ≥ 75 years, nonobese, or with chronic kidney disease. Body weight declined in all subgroups and significantly more with the 1.5-mg versus 0.75-mg dose. Conclusions In real-world T2D patients, effectiveness of dulaglutide on HbA1c and body weight reduction was highly consistent and significant even in subgroups of patients poorly represented in RCTs.