Pharmacotherapeutic group: Drugs used in diabetes. Insulins and analogues for injection, intermediate- or long-acting combined with fast-acting.
ATC code: A10AD06.
Pharmacological properties: Pharmacodynamic properties: Mechanism of action: Insulin degludec and insulin aspart binds specifically to the human insulin receptor and results in the same pharmacological effects as human insulin.
The blood glucose-lowering effect of insulin is due to the facilitated uptake of glucose following the binding of insulin to receptors on muscle and fat cells and to the simultaneous inhibition of glucose output from the liver.
Pharmacodynamic effects: The pharmacodynamic effect of Ryzodeg is distinctively separated for the two components (see figure), and the resulting action profile reflects the individual components, the rapid-acting insulin aspart and the basal component insulin degludec.
The basal component of Ryzodeg (insulin degludec) forms soluble multi-hexamers upon subcutaneous injection, resulting in a depot from which insulin degludec is continuously and slowly absorbed into the circulation leading to a flat and stable glucose-lowering effect. This effect is maintained in the co-formulation with insulin aspart and does not interfere with the rapid-acting insulin aspart monomers.
Ryzodeg has a rapid onset of action occurring soon after injection providing meal time coverage while the basal component has a flat and stable action profile providing continuous coverage of the basal insulin requirements. The duration of action of a single-dose of Ryzodeg is beyond 24 hours.
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The total and maximum-glucose-lowering effects of Ryzodeg increase linearly with increasing doses. Steady state will occur after 2-3 days of dose administration.
There is no difference in the pharmacodynamic effect of Ryzodeg between elderly and younger patients.
Clinical efficacy and safety: Five multi-national, randomised, controlled, open-label, treat-to-target clinical studies of 26 weeks' and 52 weeks' duration were conducted exposing a total of 1,360 patients with diabetes mellitus (362 patients in type 1 diabetes mellitus and 998 patients in type 2 diabetes mellitus) to Ryzodeg. Ryzodeg administered once daily (o.d.) plus Oral Antidiabetic Drugs (OADs) was compared to insulin glargine (IGlar) (o.d.) plus OADs in two trials in type 2 diabetes mellitus (Table 1). Ryzodeg b.i.d. plus OADs was compared to biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) b.i.d. plus OADs in two trials in type 2 diabetes mellitus (Table 2). Ryzodeg o.d. plus insulin aspart (IAsp) was also compared to once-daily (o.d.) or twice-daily insulin detemir (IDet) plus IAsp in type 1 diabetes mellitus (Table 3).
Non-inferiority in HbA
1c change from baseline to end-of-trial was confirmed in all studies against all comparators when treating patients to target.
In two trials combining insulin and OAD treatment in both insulin-naïve (insulin initiation) and insulin-using (insulin intensification) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, Ryzodeg o.d. demonstrated similar glycemic control (HbA
1c) compared to IGlar (administered according to label) (Table 1). As Ryzodeg contains a rapid-acting meal-time insulin (insulin aspart), prandial glycemic control at the dosing meal is improved relative to administering basal insulin only; see trial results in Table 1. A lower rate of nocturnal hypoglycemia (defined as episodes between midnight and 6 a.m. confirmed by plasma glucose <3.1 mmol/L or by patient needing third party assistance) was observed with Ryzodeg relative to IGlar (Table 1).
Ryzodeg b.i.d. demonstrated similar glycemic control (HbA
1c) compared with BIAsp 30 b.i.d. in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It demonstrates superior improvements in fasting plasma glucose levels compared to patients treated with BIAsp 30. Ryzodeg causes a lower rate of overall and nocturnal hypoglycemia (Table 2).
In patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, treatment with Ryzodeg o.d. plus IAsp for the remaining meals demonstrated similar glycemic control (HbA
1c and fasting plasma glucose) with a lower rate of nocturnal hypoglycemia compared to a basal/bolus regimen with IDet plus IAsp at all meals (Table 3).
There is no clinically relevant development of insulin antibodies after long-term treatment of Ryzodeg.
Click on icon to see table/diagram/image
Click on icon to see table/diagram/image
Click on icon to see table/diagram/image
Pharmacokinetic properties: Absorption: After subcutaneous injection, soluble and stable multi-hexamers of insulin degludec are formed creating a depot of insulin in the subcutaneous tissue, while not interfering with the rapid release of insulin aspart monomers into the circulation. Insulin degludec monomers gradually separate from the multi-hexamers thus resulting in a slow and continuous delivery of insulin degludec into the circulation. Steady state serum concentration of the basal component (insulin degludec) is reached after 2-3 days of daily Ryzodeg administration.
The rapid absorption characteristics of the well-established insulin aspart are maintained by Ryzodeg. The pharmacokinetic profile for insulin aspart appears 14 minutes after injection with a peak concentration after 72 minutes.
Distribution: The affinity of insulin degludec to serum albumin corresponds to a plasma protein binding of >99% in human plasma. Insulin aspart has a low binding to plasma proteins (<10%), similar to that seen with regular human insulin.
Biotransformation: Degradation of insulin degludec and insulin aspart is similar to that of human insulin; all metabolites formed are inactive.
Elimination: The half-life after subcutaneous administration of Ryzodeg is determined by the rate of absorption from the subcutaneous tissue. The half-life of the basal component (insulin degludec) at steady state is 25 hours independent of dose.
Linearity: Total exposure with Ryzodeg increases proportionally with increasing dose of the basal component (insulin degludec) and the meal-time component (insulin aspart) in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Gender: There is no gender difference in the pharmacokinetic properties of Ryzodeg.
Elderly, race, renal and hepatic impairment: There are no clinically relevant differences in the pharmacokinetics of Ryzodeg between elderly and younger adult patients, between races or between healthy subjects and patients with renal or hepatic impairment.
Pediatric population: The pharmacokinetic properties of Ryzodeg in type 1 diabetes mellitus were investigated in children (6-11 years) and adolescents (12-18 years) and compared to adults after single dose administration.
Total exposure and peak concentration of insulin aspart are higher in children than in adults and are similar for adolescents and adults.
The pharmacokinetic properties of insulin degludec in children and adolescents were comparable to those observed in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Total exposure of insulin degludec after single dose administration is, however, higher in children and adolescents than in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Toxicology: Preclinical safety data: Non-clinical data reveal no safety concerns for humans based on studies of safety pharmacology, repeated dose toxicity, carcinogenic potential, and toxicity to reproduction.
The ratio of mitogenic relative to metabolic potency for insulin degludec is comparable to that of human insulin.