Dose-Response Effects of Insulin Glargine in Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE — To determine the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic dose-response effects of insulin glargine administered subcutaneously in individuals with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCHDESIGNANDMETHODS — Twenty obese type 2 diabetic individuals (10 male and 10 female, aged 50 3 years, with BMI 36 2 kg/m2 and A1C 8.3 0.6%) were studied in this single-center, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study. Five subcu-taneous doses of insulin glargine (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 units/kg) were investigated on separate occasions using the 24-h euglycemic clamp technique. RESULTS — Glargine duration of action to reduce glucose, nonessential fatty acid (NEFA), and -hydroxybutyrate levels was close to or24 h for all four doses. Increases in glucose flux revealed no discernible peak and were modest with maximal glucose infusion rates of 9.4, 6.6, 5.5, and 2.8 mol/kg/min for the 2.0, 1.5, 1.0, and 0.5 units/kg doses, respectively. Glargine exhibited a relatively hepatospecific action with greater suppression (P 0.05) of endogenous glucose production (EGP) compared with little or no increases in glucose disposal. CONCLUSION — A single subcutaneous injection of glargine at a dose of0.5 units/kg can acutely reduce glucose, NEFA, and ketone body levels for 24 h in obese insulin-resistant type