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Disposable insulin delivery device linked to lower HbA1c, cost-effectiveness
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Compared with multiple daily injections, insulin delivery with a disposable device resulted in greater reductions in HbA1c and use of less insulin, study data show.
Carla C. Nikkel, RD, CDE, associate director of medical affairs at Valeritas Inc., and colleagues retrospectively evaluated data from 116 patients with type 2 diabetes identified from electronic medical records to determine the effectiveness of different methods of delivering intensified insulin therapy. Patients were being treated with multiple daily injections (n = 60) or the V-Go disposable insulin delivery device (Valeritas; n = 56).
HbA1c was reduced with both treatment methods; however, patients using V-Go had greater reductions. At 12 and 27 weeks (P = .027 for both), significantly less basal insulin was required among the V-Go group compared with the multiple daily injections group.
In the multiple daily injections group, baseline HbA1c and number of bolus injections prescribed at initiation were correlated (P = .0015). By 27 weeks, the recommended number of bolus injections per day increased in the multiple daily injections group and remained similar to baseline in the V-Go group.
Compared with the multiple daily injections group, the V-Go group was using significantly less total daily dose and total daily basal dose at 27 weeks.
V-Go treatment was associated with lower diabetes-related direct pharmacy costs compared with multiple daily injections.
“Patient needs and preferences should be considered when determining the insulin delivery method to be used for [intensified insulin therapy],” the researchers wrote. “[The multiple daily injections method] allows for extensive dosing options and may be preferred when a wearable device is not conducive to the patient’s lifestyle. V-Go provides a continuous preset basal rate of insulin and convenient on-demand bolus dosing. In this study, insulin delivery with V-Go provided a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c, required less insulin, and proved to be more cost-effective when compared to administering [intensified insulin therapy] with [multiple daily injections].” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Nikkel is an employee/shareholder at Valeritas Inc. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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