Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Once daily velagliflozin pill vs twice daily insulin for diabetic cats
By Niessen, Stijn J M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Veterinary Specialist Consultations & VIN Europe, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy and safety of once daily oral administration of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor velagliflozin compared with twice daily insulin injection in diabetic cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of diabetic cats was treated with either a new oral medication called velagliflozin or traditional insulin injections to see which worked better. After 45 days, more cats on velagliflozin showed improvement in their diabetes symptoms compared to those on insulin. By 91 days, many cats on velagliflozin had better quality of life and lower blood sugar levels without experiencing dangerous low blood sugar episodes. While some cats had mild side effects like loose stools, the overall results suggest that velagliflozin is a safe and effective alternative to insulin for managing diabetes in cats.
People also search for: diabetic cat treatment options · velagliflozin for cats · insulin vs oral medication for diabetic cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Options for treatment of diabetes mellitus in cats are limited to insulin injections and monitoring for hypoglycemia. HYPOTHESIS: Once daily sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor velagliflozin PO is noninferior to insulin injections. ANIMALS: Client-owned diabetic cats (127 safety; 116 efficacy assessment). METHODS: Prospective, randomized (1 mg/kg velagliflozin), positive controlled (titrated Caninsulin), open label, noninferiority field trial, comparing number of cats with treatment success in ≥1 clinical variable and ≥1 glycemic variable (margin Δ: 15%) on Day 45; secondary endpoints included glycemic and clinical assessments during 91 days. RESULTS: On Day 45, 29/54 (54%) velagliflozin-treated cats and 26/62 (42%) Caninsulin-treated cats showed treatment success, demonstrating noninferiority (difference -11.8%; upper 1-sided 97.5% confidence interval, -∞ to 6.3%). By Day 91, quality of life (QoL), polyuria, and polydipsia had improved in 81%, 54% and 61% (velagliflozin); on blood glucose (BG) curves, mean BG was <252 mg/dL in 42/54 (78%; velagliflozin) and 37/62 (60%; Caninsulin); minimum BG was <162 mg/dL in 41/54 (76%; velagliflozin) and 41/62 (66%; Caninsulin); serum fructosamine was <450 μmol/L in 41/54 (76%; velagliflozin) and 38/62 (61%; Caninsulin). Velagliflozin's most frequent adverse events were loose feces/diarrhea (n = 23/61, 38%), positive urine culture (n = 19/61, 31%), and nonclinical hypoglycemia (BG <63 mg/dL; n = 8/61, 13%); Caninsulin's: clinical and nonclinical hypoglycemia (n = 35/66, 53%), positive urine culture (n = 18/66, 27%), and loose feces/diarrhea (n = 10/66, 15%). Diabetic ketoacidosis occurred in 4/61 (7%; velagliflozin) and 0/66 (Caninsulin). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Once daily oral administration of velagliflozin was noninferior to insulin injections, showed good QoL and glycemia without clinical hypoglycemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38884190/