Efficacy and safety of linagliptin monotherapy in Asian patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus: A multinational, 24-week, randomized, clinical trial

AIMS/INTRODUCTION Asian patients represent a large portion of the global population with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but are underrepresented in trials of glucose-lowering therapies. The present randomized, phase III, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 24-week study evaluated the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, linagliptin, as monotherapy in Asian patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients who were treatment naïve or had been treated with one oral antidiabetes drug were randomized to either linagliptin 5 mg daily or a placebo after washout. The primary end-point was a change from baseline in glycated hemoglobin after 24 weeks. RESULTS A total of 300 Asian (87% Chinese) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomized to linagliptin or placebo at a 2:1 ratio. After 24 weeks of treatment, adjusted mean (standard error) glycated hemoglobin decreased by a placebo-corrected -0.50 ± 0.11 (P < 0.0001). In patients with baseline glycated hemoglobin ≥8.5%, the placebo-corrected decrease in glycated hemoglobin was -0.91 ± 0.20% (P < 0.0001). Adverse events occurred in 28.0 and 28.3% of linagliptin and placebo patients, respectively, but few were drug-related (3.0 and 2.0%, respectively). Hypoglycemia was reported by one linagliptin patient and no placebo patients. Treatment with linagliptin was weight neutral. CONCLUSIONS In Asian patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus, linagliptin 5 mg as monotherapy was efficacious and well tolerated over 24 weeks.