Insulin Updates From EASD 2020

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Here are some updates from the EASD 2020 meeting, which was our second major diabetes meeting held virtually. It was supposed to be in Vienna. I wish we'd been there but, of course, we weren't.

I'm going to talk about insulin because, frankly, it's something that's very important to my patients. Many of my patients want faster-acting insulin because they have continuous glucose monitors and they see that insulin lasts too long and starts acting too slowly.

Ultra Rapid–Acting Insulin Lispro

New phase 3 data were presented for Lilly's new ultra rapid–acting insulin lispro. This insulin has been approved for use in the United States in patients on multiple daily injections, but not in those who are on insulin pumps. This was a 16-week study that enrolled 432 patients with type 1 diabetes on pumps. The primary outcome was change in A1c.

When they compared the ultra rapid–acting insulin lispro with standard lispro, they showed no difference in terms of A1c reduction. The A1c reduction with the ultra fast–acting insulin was 0.7% compared with 1% with the standard insulin lispro. There was also no difference in time in range.

When they did the standardized mixed-meal tolerance test, they found a reduction in 1- and 2-hour postprandial glucose levels with the ultra rapid–acting insulin.