A 1-year safety study of dulaglutide in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes on a single oral hypoglycemic agent: an open-label, nonrandomized, phase 3 trial

The goal of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of 0.75 mg of dulaglutide, a once weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) on a single oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA). In this phase 3, nonrandomized, open-label, parallel-group, 52-week study, safety and efficacy of once weekly dulaglutide 0.75 mg were assessed in Japanese patients with T2D on a single OHA (sulfonylureas [SU], biguanides [BG], a-glucosidase inhibitors [AGI], thiazolidinedione [TZD], or glinides [GLN]). A total of 394 patients were treated with study drug, and 92.9% completed the 52-week treatment period. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events were nasopharyngitis and gastrointestinal disorders, including constipation, diarrhea, and nausea. Incidences of hypoglycemia varied across the combination therapy groups: incidence was greater in patients receiving SU compared with other combinations. No severe hypoglycemic episodes occurred during the study. Increases from baseline in pancreatic and total amylase, lipase, and pulse rate were observed in all 5 combination therapy groups. Significant reductions from baseline in HbA1c were observed in all 5 combination therapy groups (-1.57% to -1.69%, p < 0.001 for all). Mean body weight changes from baseline varied across the combination therapy groups: a significant increase was observed in combination with TZD, there were no significant changes in combination with SU or GLN, and significant reductions were observed in combination with BG or AGI. Once weekly dulaglutide 0.75 mg in combination with a single OHA was overall well tolerated and improved glycemic control in Japanese patients with T2D.