Real-World Effectiveness of Liraglutide in Children with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract Importance Since liraglutide's approval in children for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D), no real-world-studies have examined its clinical outcomes in adolescents. Objective Compare hemoglobin HbA1C changes in adolescents with T2D taking liraglutide in a clinical setting. Design Retrospective cohort study from 2019–2023. Participants T2D patients aged <18 years who were prescribed liraglutide. Patients were divided into two groups: treated (those with evidence of taking liraglutide for ≥26 weeks) and control (those prescribed but who did not take liraglutide). Main outcomes Changes in HbA1C after 26-weeks of treatment were calculated. Secondary outcomes included HbA1c changes after 52 weeks, and BMI-z score changes and lipid markers at 26 and/or 52 weeks. Results There was a strong trend toward a decrease in HbA1C after 26-weeks of liraglutide treatment compared to control (-0.40 [-1.90, 0.20] vs. + 0.15 [-1.30, 0.88], p = 0.064; n = 85 vs. 30); no difference was observed at 52-weeks (-0.20 [-1.23,0.93] vs. 0.50 [-1.13,1.70], p = 0.15; n = 100 vs. 44). BMI-z score was stable in both groups with no differences between groups. Lipid levels were available in a small subset of patients. The liraglutide-treated group had a decrease in total cholesterol (-8.00 [-23.25, 6.25] mg/dL vs. 19.00 [2.5,29.25] mg/dL, p = 0.005; n = 36 vs. 12) and LDL (-9.00 (-21.5,6.0) mg/dL vs. 13.50 (5.25, 24.25) mg/dL, p < 0.01; n = 31 vs. 12) vs. control. Conclusion Liraglutide shows potential benefits for lowering HbA1C and cholesterol in children with T2D in a clinical setting. Additional work is needed to understand how to optimize HbA1C improvements with liraglutide.