Author response for "Predictors of treatment response in type‐2 diabetes patients initiating basal‐supported oral therapy with insulin glargine 100 U/mL – a sub‐analysis of the Titration and OPtimisation (TOP) registry"

: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of long-term response to the initiation of basal-supported oral therapy (BOT) with insulin glargine (IGlar-100). Patients from the observational TOP registry were grouped based on those who had achieved (responders) and those who had not achieved (non-responders) their HBA1c target and/or FBG ≤110 mg/dL 12 months after IGlar-100 initiation. Independent predictors of treatment response were identified by regression analysis. Data for 2444 patients were analysed (responders, n = 1610; non-responders, n = 834). Although the IGlar-100 dose increase over 12 months was larger for non-responders (+12.83 vs +9.46 U/d; P < 0.0001), the corresponding decrease in HbA1c was smaller (-0.88% vs -1.57%). Independent predictors of response included lower BMI (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-1.00), lower FBG (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.98) and HbA1c values at baseline (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.18-0.31), a less ambitious HbA1c target (OR, 5.07; 95% CI, 3.37-7.63) and bedtime administration of IGlar-100 (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.12-2.14). In conclusion, HbA1c was the clinically most significant baseline characteristic predictive of response to BOT. This may suggest an advantage of IGlar-100 initiation prior to excessive hyperglycaemia escalation.