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Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide as Adjunct to Closed-loop Therapy in Type 1 Diabetes Care

Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide as Adjunct to Closed-loop Therapy in Type 1 Diabetes Care: a Double-blind, Cross-over, Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05205928
Acronym
SEMA-AP
Enrollment
28
Registered
2022-01-25
Start date
2022-10-02
Completion date
2024-06-30
Last updated
2025-01-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Type 1 Diabetes

Keywords

Insulin, Closed-loop system, GLP-1 receptor agonist, Semaglutide, Artificial Pancreas, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1

Brief summary

A closed-loop insulin system, also referred to as the artificial pancreas (AP), is made up of an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor, and an application communicating between the two to adjust insulin administration based on glucose control. This is meant for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. The McGill Artificial Pancreas (MAP) has been used previously in type 1 diabetes with significant benefits. Though prior studies have shown significant benefit with this system, some challenges still exist. Semaglutide is used in type 2 diabetes and obesity; it is a once-weekly injectable medication that increases levels of a gut hormone called Glucagon-Like Peptide-1, which modifies gastric emptying, suppresses glucagon, and suppresses appetite. Though its use is not approved in type 1 diabetes in North America, it (along with similar drugs) has been used in studies as adjunctive therapy with insulin with benefits on blood sugar control. Similar medications have been used in type 1 diabetes (such as liraglutide and exenatide), but are not as strong in glucose effect even in type 2 diabetes as compared with semaglutide. The purpose of our study is to see if semaglutide administered weekly at the maximum tolerated dose in those with type 1 diabetes will have improved glucose control (as per time in target range from continuous glucose monitoring data) compared to placebo, while using a closed-loop insulin system.

Interventions

DRUGOutpatient therapy: 11 weeks of drug therapy with usual treatment + 4 weeks of closed-loop therapy

The blinded drug will be used with participant's routine therapy (+ continuous glucose monitoring if not already in use) for 11 weeks with follow-up from qualified research personnel concerning pump settings, side effects, and incremental dose increase. While continuing to use the medication, there are 4 weeks of closed-loop pump therapy and drug use; glycemic outcomes will be taken from the last 4 weeks. This will be followed by laboratory and anthropometric testing, followed by 2 weeks of wash-out.

Sponsors

McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* A clinical diagnosis of T1D for at least one year, as per their treating diabetes physician in agreement with the primary investigator's clinical judgment (confirmatory C-peptide and antibodies will not be required) * Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) up to 11% (inclusive), performed within the last 6 months prior to study inclusion * Insulin pump use (of any modality) for minimum 3 months * Agreement to the use of highly effective method of birth control in persons of child-bearing age (if sexually active) and active avoidance of pregnancy during the trial. Child-bearing potential refers to participants of the female sex post-menarche and have not reached menopause or have a disclosed medical condition causing sterility (e.g. hysterectomy). Post-menopausal state refers to the absence of menses for 12 months without any alternative cause.

Exclusion criteria

1. Current or \< 2 week use of another GLP1-receptor agonist 2. Less than 2 weeks use of any anti-hyperglycemic agent other than insulin 3. Planned or ongoing pregnancy 4. Breastfeeding individuals 5. Severe hypoglycemic episode within the last 3 months, defined as an event where glucose was \< 4 mmol/L resulting in seizure, loss of consciousness, or need to present to the emergency department 6. Severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) within the last 6 months (severe referring to need to present to medical attention and requirement of intravenous insulin) 7. Prior history of acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, or gallbladder disease 8. Personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 9. Severe impairment of renal function with eGFR \<15 mL/min/1.73 m2 (using CKD-EPI formula), measured within the last 12 months 10. Clinically significant diabetic retinopathy or gastroparesis, as per the clinical judgment of the investigator 11. History of bariatric surgery within 6 months of screening 12. Any serious medical or psychiatric illness likely to interfere with study participation as per the judgment of the investigator (e.g. cirrhosis, active cancer, decompensated schizophrenia) 13. Prior adverse reaction to GLP1-RAs 14. Body mass index ≤ 21 kg/m2 15. Regular use of hydroxyurea during the expected time of Dexcom G6 use, as this medication is known to cause inaccurate measurements (43) 16. Failure to comply to the study protocol and/or research group's recommendations (e.g. change in pump parameters, ketone measurement) 17. Inability or unwillingness to comply to safe diabetes management in the view of the study group (e.g. inappropriate treatment of hypoglycemia or lack thereof) 18. Any demonstrate of difficulty in using the iMAP system following training, as per investigator's judgment 19. Concern for safety of the participant, as per the clinical judgment of the primary investigator \*\*Note that for reasons of medicolegal protection for medical supervision, participants must be Canadian residents.\*\*

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of time of plasma glucose levels spent in target range (semaglutide vs placebo)4 weeksTarget range is defined to be between 3.9 and 10.0 mmol/L of placebo on closed-loop system vs semaglutide (at maximal tolerated dose) on closed-loop insulin system.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of time spent in the following ranges of glucose levels between 3.9 and 7.8 mmol/L4 weeks% as per CGM data
Percentage of time spent in the following ranges of glucose levels: below 3.9 and 3.0 mmol/L4 weeks% as per CGM data
Percentage of time spent in the following ranges of glucose levels: above 7.8, 10, and 13.9 mmol/L4 weeks% as per CGM data
Mean glucose level4 weeksDefined as per CGM data, in mmol/L
Standard deviation of glucose levels as a measure of glucose variability4 weeksDefined as per CGM data, in mmol/L
Percentage coefficient of variation of glucose levels4 weeks% as per CGM data
Proportion of participants with TIR between 3.9 - 10.0 mol/L ≥ 70%4 weeksAs per CGM data
Blood pressure and heart rate15 weeksBody measurements as described (mmHg and beats per minutes)
Average scores between interventions based on quality of life questionnaires15 weeksThese include: Type 1 Diabetes Distress Scale, Hypoglycemic Fear Survey - II, INSPIRE questionnaire for adults, Diabetes Bowel Syndrome Questionnaire, Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire
Measured of body mass: weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio15 weeksMeasurements done at visit - weight in kilograms, body mass index as per kg/m\^2, circumferences in cm
Lipid profile, specifically: LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides15 weeksBlood tests, in mmol/L
Biochemical analyses (exploratory)15 weeksCRP, ferritin, IL-6, Brain natriuretic peptide, TXNIP
Urine albumin-creatinine ratio15 weeksUrine test
Glucagon, C-peptide, Paracetamol absorption after mixed meal tolerance test (in first 15 participants)15 weeksTest done where beverage given and subsequent blood tests done after.
Glycated hemoglobin15 weeksBlood test to assess control within last 3-4 months

Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026