Clinical experience with liraglutide.

AIM: To provide insight into clinical experience with liraglutide by reviewing four case studies of patients initiating liraglutide treatment. KEY FINDINGS: Liraglutide treatment was associated with clinically relevant reductions in glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c.) ) levels. In two of three cases for which HbA(1c) information was available, patients achieved an HbA(1c) of 6.5% at 9-month follow-up and 6.1% at 12-month follow-up. In the third case, the HbA(1c) level was 7.5% at 18-month follow-up. Individuals treated with liraglutide also experienced clinically relevant weight reductions of 4-10%. Other non-glycaemic benefits of liraglutide treatment included reductions in blood pressure. There were no reported incidences of hypoglycaemia. Gastrointestinal adverse side effects were most commonly reported, including nausea, vomiting and dyspepsia; however, symptoms generally subsided during the first month of treatment. In one patient who had prolonged nausea with exenatide over 2 years, a treatment switch to liraglutide resulted in resolution of the nausea symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Liraglutide treatment was associated with reductions in HbA(1c) levels as well as benefits beyond glycaemic control, such as weight loss and systolic blood pressure reductions. No hypoglycaemic episode was reported. Transient gastrointestinal adverse side effects were most commonly reported.