Efficacy and safety of alirocumab in insulin-treated patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk: Rationale and design of the ODYSSEY DM–INSULIN trial
The coadministration of alirocumab, a PCSK9 inhibitor for treatment of hypercholesterolaemia, and insulin in diabetes mellitus (DM) requires further study. Described here is the rationale behind a phase-IIIb study designed to characterize the efficacy and safety of alirocumab in insulin-treated patients with type 1 (T1) or type 2 (T2) DM with hypercholesterolaemia and high cardiovascular (CV) risk.
Methods
ODYSSEY DM–INSULIN (NCT02585778) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study that planned to enrol around 400 T2 and up to 100 T1 insulin-treated DM patients. Participants had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels at screening ≥ 70 mg/dL (1.81 mmol/L) with stable maximum tolerated statin therapy or were statin-intolerant, and taking (or not) other lipid-lowering therapy; they also had established CV disease or at least one additional CV risk factor. Eligible patients were randomized 2:1 to 24 weeks of alirocumab 75 mg every 2 weeks (Q2W) or a placebo. Alirocumab-treated patients with LDL-C ≥ 70 mg/dL at week 8 underwent a blinded dose increase to 150 mg Q2W at week 12. Primary endpoints were the difference between treatment arms in percentage change of calculated LDL-C from baseline to week 24, and alirocumab safety.
Results
This is an ongoing clinical trial, with 76 T1 and 441 T2 DM patients enrolled; results are expected in mid-2017.
Conclusion
The ODYSSEY DM–INSULIN study will provide information on the efficacy and safety of alirocumab in insulin-treated individuals with T1 or T2 DM who are at high CV risk and have hypercholesterolaemia not adequately controlled by the maximum tolerated statin therapy.