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Liraglutide for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials

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Abstract

Introduction

Liraglutide has been widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), however, the results of a number of randomized placebo-controlled trials on the effects of liraglutide for the treatment of T2DM have varied. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of liraglutide versus placebo for the treatment of T2DM.

Methods

We searched randomized controlled trials comparing liraglutide and placebo for the treatment of T2DM in the following databases: MEDLINE; EMBASE; Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials; and Clinical Trials Gov (through August 2014). The standard mean difference (SMD) was calculated for the continuous data and a χ 2 test was used to evaluate heterogeneity.

Results

Initially, 103 articles were retrieved through the literature search and 11 studies met the requirements for the meta-analysis. The effects of liraglutide on lowering glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting plasma glucose, reducing weight, lowering blood pressure, and the prevalence of adverse events were significantly different from placebo (P < 0.0001, SMD = −0.96, 95% CI = [−1.20, −0.73]; P < 0.0001, SMD = −0.72, 95% CI = [−0.99, −0.45]; P = 0.004, SMD = −0.24, 95% CI = [−0.40, −0.07]; P = 0.021, SMD = −0.15, 95% CI = [−0.27, −0.02], and P = 0.007, respectively).

Conclusion

Liraglutide had greater hypoglycemic, weight-reducing and systolic blood pressure-lowering effects than placebo. However, there were more adverse events in the treatment with liraglutide. It is suggested that additional well-designed, large, studies be conducted to further support the use of liraglutide and provide objective guidance for clinical application of liraglutide.

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Acknowledgments

No funding or sponsorship was received for this study or publication of this article. The authors thank the research team at the Department of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University for their assistance with this study. All named authors meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship for this manuscript, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given final approval for the version to be published.

Conflict of interest

Qiang Du, Yan-Jun Wang, Sheng Yang, Yue-Yang Zhao, and Ping Han declare no conflict of interest.

Compliance with ethics guidelines

The analysis in this article is based on previously conducted studies, and does not involve any new studies of human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Correspondence to Qiang Du.

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Du, Q., Wang, YJ., Yang, S. et al. Liraglutide for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials. Adv Ther 31, 1182–1195 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-014-0164-2

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