The efficacy and safety of LEVEMIR given once-daily at bedtime or twice-daily (before breakfast and at bedtime, before breakfast and with the evening meal, or at 12-hour intervals) was compared to that of once-daily or twice-daily NPH insulin in open-label, randomized, parallel studies of 1155 adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 347 pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and 869 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The efficacy and safety of LEVEMIR given twice-daily was compared to once-daily insulin glargine in an open-label, randomized, parallel study of 320 patients with type 1 diabetes. The evening LEVEMIR dose was titrated in all trials according to pre-defined targets for fasting blood glucose. The pre-dinner blood glucose was used to titrate the morning LEVEMIR dose in those trials that also administered LEVEMIR in the morning. In general, the reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) with LEVEMIR was similar to that with NPH insulin or insulin glargine.

Type 1 Diabetes – Adult

In a 16-week open-label clinical study (Study A, n=409), adults with type 1 diabetes were randomized to treatment with either LEVEMIR at 12-hour intervals, LEVEMIR administered in the morning and bedtime or NPH insulin administered in the morning and bedtime. Insulin aspart was also administered before each meal. At 16 weeks of treatment, the combined LEVEMIR-treated patients had similar HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) reductions compared to the NPH-treated patients (Table 7). Differences in timing of LEVEMIR administration had no effect on HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), or body weight. 

In a 26-week, open-label clinical study (Study B, n=320), adults with type 1 diabetes were randomized to twice-daily LEVEMIR (administered in the morning and bedtime) or once-daily insulin glargine (administered at bedtime). Insulin aspart was administered before each meal. LEVEMIR-treated patients had a decrease in HbA1c similar to that of insulin glargine-treated patients. 

In a 24-week, non-blinded clinical study (Study C, n=749), adults with type 1 diabetes were randomized to once-daily LEVEMIR or once-daily NPH insulin, both administered at bedtime and in combination with regular human insulin before each meal. LEVEMIR and NPH insulin had a similar effect on HbA1c.

Baseline values were included as covariates in an ANCOVA analysis.

Type 1 Diabetes – Pediatric

In an open-label clinical study (Study D, n=347), pediatric patients (age range 6 to 17) with type 1 diabetes were randomized to 26 weeks of treatment with LEVEMIR or NPH insulin both of which were administered either once- or twice-daily (bedtime or morning and bedtime), at a dosing frequency consistent with the number of daily basal insulin injections a patient was taking prior to trial entry. Insulin aspart was administered before each meal. LEVEMIR-treated patients had a decrease in HbA1c similar to that of NPH insulin (Table 8).

Type 2 Diabetes – Adult

In a 24-week, open-label, randomized, clinical study (Study E, n=476), LEVEMIR administered twice-daily (before breakfast and evening) was compared to NPH insulin administered twice-daily (before breakfast and evening) as part of a regimen of stable combination therapy with one or two of the following oral antidiabetic medications: metformin, an insulin secretagogue, or an alpha–glucosidase inhibitor. All patients were insulin-naïve at the time of randomization. LEVEMIR and NPH insulin similarly lowered HbA1c from baseline (Table 9).

In a 22-week, open-label, randomized, clinical study (Study F, n=395) in adults with type 2 diabetes, LEVEMIR and NPH insulin were given once- or twice-daily as part of a basal-bolus regimen with insulin aspart. As measured by HbA1c or FPG, LEVEMIR had efficacy similar to that of NPH insulin.