A meta-analysis of data from 4,330 patients in seven trials looked at the effect of insulin degludec on night-time hypoglycaemia.
The results were presented at the 2012 meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Berlin this week.
The analysis showed that the rate of night-time hypoglycaemia was 43% lower in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes treated with insulin degludec than when given standard care with insulin glargine.
Patients using insulin degludec had 0.27 episodes of night-time hypoglycaemia on average in the two-year study, while insulin glargine users experienced 0.46 episodes.
A survey of 3,587 people with diabetes, also presented at the meeting, found night-time hypoglycaemia has a signifi-cant effect on adherence to type 2 diabetes treatment.
The poll found that 16% of people with type 2 diabetes had intentionally not taken their insulin as prescribed in order to avoid hypoglycaemia during the night.
