Medtronic’s results of its OpT2mise trial, which have been published in The Lancet, have shown that MiniMed insulin pumps safely achieve better glucose control for people with Type 2 diabetes who are treated with insulin. While the benefits of insulin pump therapy for people with Type 1 diabetes are well proven, this is the largest global study to evaluate the comparative efficacy of insulin pump therapy versus multiple daily insulin injections in people with Type 2 diabetes with poor glycemic control.
In the OpT2mise trial, those using insulin pumps achieved a mean HbA1c (average blood glucose) reduction of 1.1% compared to only a 0.4% reduction by those using multiple daily injections. This improvement in glucose control was achieved without any episodes of severe hypoglycemia. In addition, those in the insulin pump group lowered the total daily dose of insulin by more than 20%. There was no difference in weight gain between the two groups.
Prof. Yves Reznik from the University Hospital of Caen, France, comments, “These trial results are important in showing that insulin pump therapy can safely reduce HbA1c without causing hypoglycemic episodes and could redefine the standard of care for the growing population of insulin-requiring Type 2 diabetes patients. Many patients with Type 2 diabetes are failing to reach glycemic control despite using intense pharmaceutical regimens including insulin via multiple daily injections. This patient population is sizeable and difficult to manage, which frequently results in costly complications. For these patients, insulin pumps are an essential new treatment option and have now scientifically been proven to show significant benefits.”
Approximately 20 million people around the world with Type 2 diabetes require insulin replacement therapy although research has shown that nearly 60% of these patients on multiple daily injection (MDI) therapy admit to missing injections. The global, randomized, controlled study was sponsored by Medtronic and conducted with participation from 331 patients, ranging in age from 30 to 75 years. www.medtronic.com
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