The aim of this analysis was to compare quality of life and treatment satisfaction of patients with diagnosed type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin aspart or biphasic insulin aspart 30/70 with those of patients, to whom therapy with human insulin was administered. Quality of life and treatment satisfaction analysis for type 1 diabetes mellitus was based on a systematic review, in which efficacy and safety of insulin aspart and biphasic insulin aspart 30/70 vs. human insulin was evaluated. In addition, database search within a systematic review revealed 4 randomized, open-label clinical trials.
In order to supplement the review mentioned above and extend the analysis to other treatment protocols, the results of a study, in which the same endpoints were assessed in patients, in whom insulin aspart in combination with Hagedorn protamin insulin (NPH) was used, vs. patients treated with short-acting human insulin, also in combination with NPH, were taken into account in the analysis. In assessment of treatment satisfaction of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus the results of another observational study were taken into account, in which the endpoints mentioned above were evaluated in patients treated with biphasic insulin aspart 30/70 as compared with several previously used treatments. The two studies mentioned above exceeded the inclusion criteria assumed for the systematic review. Extension of the inclusion criteria for this analysis made it possible to compare both quality of life and treatment satisfaction achieved with therapy with insulin aspart or biphasic insulin aspart 30/70 as compared to human insulin in different treatment protocols and in a more complete way. Treatment satisfaction was assessed using DTSQ scale/DSQOLS subscale and quality of life with specific questionnaires: DSQOLS, DHP, QLsc. Results of all the studies identified within the systematic review demonstrated higher quality of life and treatment satisfaction achieved with insulin aspart as compared to human insulin in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Treatment satisfaction for insulin aspart in combination with NPH was also higher as compared to human insulin in combination with NPH.
Therapy with biphasic insulin aspart administered by means of a pen was also evaluated higher by the patients than the treatment used prior to enrollment; this was true for total score as well as for the parts related to convenience, flexibility, efficacy, quality of life and general preferences with respect to treatment.