Efficacy and safety of once daily liraglutide versus twice daily exenatide in type 2 diabetic patients in Qatar: an observational study

Objective Compare efficacy and safety of liraglutide (1.8 mg subcutaneous once daily) and exenatide (10 mcg subcutaneous twice daily) in uncontrolled type 2 diabetes at 26 and 52 weeks. Method A retrospective observation study of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes patients who took liraglutide or exenatide in addition to their anti‐diabetic medications. This study was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation, the predominant public healthcare organization in Qatar. The primary outcome was the change in haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) after 26 and 52 weeks. Key finding Two hundred and two patients were included in this study (liraglutide 98, exenatide 114). There was no significant HbA1C change observed between two groups at either 26 or 52 weeks ( P  = 0.23 and 0.40 respectively). However, more patients in the liraglutide group achieved HbA1C ≤7% at week 26. Liraglutide reduced the mean Fasting blood glucose (FBG) more than exenatide at week 26 and 52. Although both medications were associated with some benefits in other studied variables at a certain point (e.g. weight losses, blood pressure), neither of them were able to show a significant change from baseline. No patients in either group reported drug‐related side effects (e.g. nausea and vomiting) or episodes of hypoglycaemia during the treatment period. Conclusions Exenatide and liraglutide resulted in similar glycaemic effects (HbA1C and fasting plasma glucose changes) in patients with type 2 diabetes who were sub‐optimally controlled with other anti‐diabetic therapy. However, this study supports the effectiveness of both medications for weight reduction at both endpoints. A prospective large‐scale study is recommended to overcome the study limitations.