Efficacy of dulaglutide after switching from incretin-related drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes and inadequate glycemic control

Aims The efficacy of dulaglutide was assessed according to the pretreatments administered before the initiation of dulaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods In total, 89 patients treated using dulaglutide (0.75 mg, once a weekly) were investigated. The subjects were divided into the three groups based on the form in which therapy was started: additional therapy ( n = 35), switched from dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors ( n = 32) and switched from daily glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs, n = 30). The changes in medication adherence were determined in the daily GLP-1 RAs group using questionnaire surveys. Results The HbA1c values significantly decreased after the initiation of dulaglutide in all groups (additional therapy group, − 1.4 ± 1.6%; DPP-4 inhibitors group, − 1.2 ± 1.3%; and daily GLP-1 RAs group, − 0.5 ± 0.7%). Forty-six percent of the subjects in the daily GLP-1 RAs group reported that the incidence of forgetting injections of GLP-1 RA was decreased. The reduction of HbA1c was significantly greater in the subjects who reported a decrease in the incidence of forgetting injections (0.9 ± 0.9%) in comparison to those in which there was no change (0.1 ± 0.4%). Conclusions Dulaglutide is considered effective in patients with type 2 diabetes and inadequate glycemic control, regardless of whether their pretreatment includes daily GLP-1 RA treatment.