Effectiveness and safety of teneligliptin added to patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by oral triple combination therapy: A multicentre, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of teneligliptin over placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) inadequately controlled by triple therapy. Materials and Methods: This trial was a prospective, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The 12-week double-blind period was followed by a 12-week, open-label clinical trial. One hundred patients with T2D who failed to achieve the glycaemic target (7.1% ≤ HbA1c ≤ 9.0%) with conventional triple oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) of metformin, sulphonylurea, and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor were assigned randomly 1:1 into teneligliptin and placebo-teneligliptin groups. The primary endpoint was mean change in HbA1c level from baseline in each group at 12 weeks. Results: For a total of 99 patients (n = 51 for the teneligliptin group, and n = 48 for the placebo-teneligliptin group), the mean age and duration of diabetes were 60.7 and 13.6 years, respectively, and HbA1c was 7.8% at baseline. At 12 weeks, the teneligliptin group achieved a significant reduction in HbA1c from baseline (−0.9% ± 0.6%, P <.001), with an intergroup difference of −0.75% compared with the placebo group (95% CI [–0.99%, –0.51%], P <.001). At the end of the 24-week treatment period, both groups showed significant reductions in HbA1c level from baseline (placebo-teneligliptin group, –0.8% ± 0.6% [P <.001], teneligliptin group, –0.9% ± 0.6% [P <.001]), without significant intergroup difference (−0.17%, 95% CI [−0.41%, 0.07%], P =.156). There was no significant difference between the groups in the rate of adverse events (placebo-teneligliptin group, n = 3 [6.3%]; teneligliptin group, n = 11 [11.1%]; P =.550), and the safety profiles were favourable in both groups. Conclusions: The current study shows that teneligliptin could be a valid option as a fourth OAD for the treatment of patients with T2D inadequately controlled with a triple combination of OADs.