A Research Study to Compare Two Types of Insulin, a New Weekly Insulin, Insulin Icodec and an Available Daily Insulin, Insulin Degludec, in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Use Daily Insulin
Summary
This study compares insulin icodec (a new insulin taken once a week) to insulin degludec (an insulin taken once daily which is already available on the market) in people with type 2 diabetes. The study will look at how well insulin icodec taken weekly controls blood sugar compared to insulin degludec taken daily. Participants will either get insulin icodec that participants will have to inject once a week on the same day of the week or insulin degludec that participants will have to inject once a day at the same time every day. Which treatment participants get is decided by chance. The insulin is injected with a needle in a skin fold in the thigh, upper arm or stomach. The study will last for about 8 months. Participants will have 17 clinic visits and 13 phone calls with the study doctor. At 8 clinic visits participants will have blood samples taken. At 4 clinic visits participants cannot eat or drink (except for water) for 8 hours before the visit. Participants will be asked to wear a sensor that measures their blood sugar all the time in 3 periods for a total of 13 weeks (about 3 months) during the study. Women cannot take part if pregnant, breast-feeding or plan to become pregnant during the study period.
Timeline
- Start
- 2021-03-05
- Primary completion
- 2022-01-27
- Completion
- 2022-03-01
Publications
- Results Philis-Tsimikas A, Bajaj HS, Begtrup K, Cailleteau R, Gowda A, Lingvay I, Mathieu C, Russell-Jones D, Rosenstock J. Rationale and design of the phase 3a development programme (ONWARDS 1-6 trials) investigating once-weekly insulin icodec in diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2023 Feb;25(2):331-341. doi: 10.1111/dom.14871. Epub 2022 Oct 14.
- Results Philis-Tsimikas A, Asong M, Franek E, Jia T, Rosenstock J, Stachlewska K, Watada H, Kellerer M. Switching to once-weekly insulin icodec versus once-daily insulin degludec in individuals with basal insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (ONWARDS 2): a phase 3a, randomised, open label, multicentre, treat-to-target trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2023 Jun;11(6):414-425. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(23)00093-1. Epub 2023 May 3.
- Philis-Tsimikas A, Krogsdahl Bache J, Fu A, Kellerer M, Salvesen-Sykes K, Bain SC. Insights on Hospitalisations from the Phase 3a ONWARDS 1-6 Trials of Once-Weekly Insulin Icodec. Diabetes Ther. 2025 Aug;16(8):1615-1631. doi: 10.1007/s13300-025-01745-4. Epub 2025 Jun 4.
- Riddell MC, Heller S, Carstensen L, Rocha TMP, Kehlet Watt S, Woo VC. The effect of once-weekly insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin on physical activity-attributed hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes: a post hoc analysis of ONWARDS 1-5. Diabetologia. 2025 Jul;68(7):1416-1422. doi: 10.1007/s00125-025-06414-6. Epub 2025 Apr 5.
- Polonsky W, Benamar M, Carstensen L, Davies M, Meller Donatsky A, Franek E, Kellerer M, Philis-Tsimikas A, Goldenberg R. Improved treatment satisfaction with once-weekly insulin icodec compared with once-daily basal insulin in individuals with type 2 diabetes: An analysis of patient-reported outcomes and participant interviews from ONWARDS 2 and 5 and a physician survey from ONWARDS 1. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2024 Nov;217:111885. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2024.111885. Epub 2024 Oct 4.
- Watada H, Asbjornsdottir B, Nishida T, Nishimura R, Yamamoto Y, Yamauchi T, Kadowaki T. Efficacy and safety of once-weekly insulin icodec versus once-daily basal insulin in Japanese individuals with type 2 diabetes: A subgroup analysis of the ONWARDS 1, 2 and 4 trials. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2024 Dec;26(12):5882-5895. doi: 10.1111/dom.15960. Epub 2024 Sep 30.
Drugs
| Evaluation | Drug | Modality | Dose | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Insulin icodec | Protein / enzyme biologic | — | Subcutaneous |
| Comparator | insulin degludec | Protein / enzyme biologic | — | Subcutaneous |