Liraglutide in whole-pancreas transplant patients with impaired glucose homoeostasis: A case series

Hyperglycaemia may develop after whole-pancreas transplantation (PTX) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), but the efficacy and tolerability of GLP-1 receptor agonists have not been assessed in this population. This report is a 6-month prospective follow-up of six T1DM recipients of PTX (mean time after PTX: 68.8 ± 45.7 months), all of whom had an HbA1c > 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) [mean: 7.1% (54 mmol/mol)] after initiation of liraglutide alone at 0.6 mg once daily titrated to 1.2 mg once daily at week 1. Gastrointestinal disorders were reported in three of the six patients, with discontinuation of liraglutide in only one patient. HbA1c improved in the five remaining patients, with a median decrease of 0.8% (0.0-2.7%) at 6 months, and the median decrease in body weight was 2.0 kg. Immunosuppressive treatments remained unchanged with liraglutide. Thus, liraglutide appears to be an effective and well-tolerated option in PTX patients with impaired glucose homoeostasis, regardless of the cause.