The ONWARDS3 Clinical Trial
🔍 “Weekly vs Daily Insulin: The Battle of Convenience!”
A groundbreaking study took a deep dive into the world of diabetes treatments, seeking to offer patients a more convenient option. Imagine moving from a daily insulin shot to just once a week! That’s what the ONWARDS 3 trial set out to explore.
🔬 The Study in a Nutshell:
- Goal: Compare the effectiveness and safety of once-weekly insulin icodec to the usual once-daily insulin degludec in people with type 2 diabetes who hadn’t used insulin before.
- Participants: 588 adults from 11 countries, who had type 2 diabetes and were on other glucose-lowering meds.
- Duration: 26 weeks.
đź“Ś Key Findings:
- Effectiveness: Both insulins lowered the HbA1c levels (a marker for long-term blood sugar control), but here’s the twist! The once-weekly icodec did it even better than the daily degludec.
- Weight Gain: Both groups put on a bit of weight, but there wasn’t a significant difference between the two.
- Safety Concern: One area of concern was that the once-weekly icodec group experienced more significant hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) events, although these were rare in both groups.
🎉 Big Takeaway: For folks with type 2 diabetes who haven’t used insulin before, this study suggests that a once-weekly insulin shot might not only be more convenient but even better at controlling blood sugar levels. However, there’s a catch with an increased risk of hypoglycemic episodes.
