Abstract

IntroductionA limitation with randomized controlled trials is that, while they provide unbiased evidence of the efficacy of interventions, they do so under unreal conditions and in a very limited and highly selected patient population. Our aim was to provide data about the effectiveness of liraglutide treatment in a real-world and clinical practice setting.MethodsIn a retrospective and observational study, data from 753 patients with type 2 diabetes were recorded through an online tool (eDiabetes-Monitor).ResultsMean baseline glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was 8.4 ± 1.4% and mean body mass index (BMI) was 38.6 ± 5.4 kg/m2. After 3–6 months of treatment with liraglutide, we observed a change in HbA1c of −1.1 ± 1.2%, −4.6 ± 5.3 kg in weight and −1.7 ± 2.0 kg/m2 in BMI (p < 0.001 for all). Compared to baseline, there was a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (−5.9 mmHg, p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (−3.2 mmHg, p < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (−0.189 mmol/l, p < 0.001) and triglycerides (−0.09 mmol/l, p = 0.021). In patients switched from DPP-4 inhibitors, liraglutide induced a decrease of −1.0% in HbA1c (p < 0.001) and a reduction in weight (−4.5 kg, p < 0.001). In patients treated with liraglutide as an add-on therapy to insulin a decrease of −1.08% in HbA1c (p < 0.001) and a weight reduction of −4.15 kg (p < 0.001) were observed.ConclusionOur study confirms the effectiveness of liraglutide in a real-life and clinical practice setting.FundingSpanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13300-015-0112-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.