The future of combination therapies of insulin with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in type 2 diabetes - is it advantageous?

Abstract

Safe and effective therapies for type 2 diabetes are needed to reduce the burden of late complications and costs associated with this chronic disease. Hypoglycaemia and body weight gain are side effects and limitations of the therapy with insulin and/or sulphonylureas. Recently, the combination of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and insulin has become available, which is associated with good efficacy and less risk for hypoglycaemia and weight gain. This editorial discusses the strategies to escalate treatment in type 2 diabetes in view of this novel combination and discusses its placement within the therapeutic algorithm of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Recent developments to simplify this combination therapy are also dealt with.