Colesevelam hydrochloride added to background metformin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a pooled analysis from 3 clinical studies.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the glucose- and lipid-altering efficacy of colesevelam hydrochloride (HCl) when added to background metformin therapy in patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

This post hoc analysis included patients with T2DM from 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pivotal studies who received metformin as part of their background antidiabetes therapy. In the pivotal studies, patients with T2DM were randomly assigned to receive colesevelam HCl (3.75 g/d) or placebo added to existing metformin (26 weeks), sulfonylurea (26 weeks), or insulin (16 weeks) monotherapy or combination therapy, wherein the combination therapies may have included metformin.

RESULTS

In this pooled analysis of 696 patients with T2DM who were receiving metformin monotherapy or metformin combined with other antidiabetes therapies, 355 were randomly assigned to receive colesevelam HCl and 341 to receive placebo. In comparison with placebo, colesevelam HCl significantly reduced hemoglobin A1c (A1C) and fasting plasma glucose (mean treatment difference: -0.50% and -15.7 mg/dL, respectively; P<.001 for both), as well as significantly reduced levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; mean treatment difference: -16.5%), total cholesterol (TC; -5.8%), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C; -8.2%), and apolipoprotein (apo) B (-7.6%) (P<.0001 for all). Median triglyceride levels were increased with colesevelam HCl (median treatment difference: +12.8%; P<.0001). In comparison with placebo, colesevelam HCl significantly increased apo A-I (mean treatment difference: +3.3%; P<.0001), whereas the mean increase in HDL-C with colesevelam HCl was not significant. Colesevelam HCl therapy was generally well tolerated.

CONCLUSION

When added to metformin-including therapy, colesevelam HCl significantly reduced A1C and fasting glucose, as well as levels of LDL-C, TC, non-HDL-C, and apo B in patients with inadequately controlled T2DM.