Efficacy and safety of long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist dulaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 randomized controlled trials

Objectives To assess the efficacy and safety of once weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) dulaglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from inception to August 18, 2019. Revman5.3 and Stata13.0 software were used for meta-analysis. Results Twenty-one trials including 20,367 patients were analyzed. Compared with control group, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in 0.75 mg dulaglutide group and 1.5 mg dulaglutide group were reduced by 0.29% and 0.55%, respectively. More patients treated with 0.75 mg dulaglutide [RR 1.24, 95% CI (1.08, 1.42),p = 0.002] and 1.5 mg dulaglutide [RR 1.66, 95% CI (1.40, 1.99),p < 0.00001] had reached the target of HbA1c 7.0%. In patients with T2DM, 0.75 mg dulaglutide and 1.5 mg dulaglutide had a statistically higher adverse events (AEs) incidence than control, whereas the risk of hypoglycaemia was lower in 0.75 mg dulaglutide group and 1.5 mg dulaglutide group than in control group. Conclusions Based on the current evidence, 0.75 and 1.5 mg dulaglutide are associated with better glycemic control and lower rate of hypoglycemia in patients with T2DM.