BACKGROUND: The provision of sufficient basal insulin to normalize fasting plasma glucose levels may reduce cardiovascular events, but such a possibility has not been formally tested. METHODS: We randomly assigned 12,537 people (mean age, 63.5 years) with cardiovascular risk factors plus impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or type 2 diabetes to receive insulin glargine (with a target fasting blood glucose level of 95 mg per deciliter [5.3 mmol per liter]) or standard care and to receive n-3 fatty acids or placebo with the use of a 2-by-2 factorial design. The results of the comparison between insulin glargine and standard care are reported here. The coprimary outcomes were nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes and these events plus revascularization or hospitalization for heart failure. Microvascular outcomes, incident diabetes, hypoglycemia, weight, and cancers were also compared between groups. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 6.2 years (interquartile range, 5.8 to 6.7). Rates of incident cardiovascular outcomes were similar in the insulin-glargine and standard-care groups: 2.94 and 2.85 per 100 person-years, respectively, for the first coprimary outcome (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94 to 1.11; P=0.63) and 5.52 and 5.28 per 100 personyears, respectively, for the second coprimary outcome (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.11; P=0.27). New diabetes was diagnosed approximately 3 months after therapy was stopped among 30% versus 35% of 1456 participants without baseline diabetes (odds ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.00; P=0.05). Rates of severe hypoglycemia were 1.00 versus 0.31 per 100 person-years. Median weight increased by 1.6 kg in the insulin-glargine group and fell by 0.5 kg in the standard-care group. There was no significant difference in cancers (hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.13; P=0.97). CONCLUSIONS: When used to target normal fasting plasma glucose levels for more than 6 years, insulin glargine had a neutral effect on cardiovascular outcomes and cancers. Although it reduced new-onset diabetes, insulin glargine also increased hypoglycemia and modestly increased weight. (Funded by Sanofi; ORIGIN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00069784.).

Daily supplementation with 1 g of n-3 fatty acids did not reduce the rate of cardiovascular events in patients at high risk for cardiovascular events. (Funded by Sanofi; ORIGIN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00069784.).

Severe hypoglycaemia is associated with an increased risk for CV outcomes in people at high CV risk and dysglycaemia. Although allocation to insulin glargine vs. standard care was associated with an increased risk of severe and non-severe hypoglycaemia, the relative risk of CV outcomes with hypoglycaemia was lower with insulin glargine-based glucose-lowering therapy than with the standard glycaemic control. Trial Registration (ORIGIN ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00069784).

Mohan and Mente had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of insulin glargine and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3FA) supplements on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT).RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe enrolled 1,184 people with cardiovascular (CV) disease and/or CV risk factors plus impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or early type 2 diabetes in a randomized multicenter 2 × 2 factorial design trial. Participants received open-label insulin glargine (targeting fasting glucose levels ≤5.3 mmol/L [95 mg/dL]) or standard glycemic care and double-blind therapy with a 1-g capsule of n-3FA or placebo. The primary trial outcome was the annualized rate of change in maximum CIMT for the common carotid, bifurcation, and internal carotid artery segments. Secondary outcomes were the annualized rates of change in maximum CIMT for the common carotid and the common carotid plus bifurcation, respectively. Baseline followed by annual ultrasounds were obtained during a median follow-up of 4.9 years.RESULTSCompared with standard care, insulin glargine reduced the primary CIMT outcome, but the difference was not statistically significant (difference = 0.0030 ± 0.0021 mm/year; P = 0.145) and significantly reduced the secondary CIMT outcomes (differences of 0.0033 ± 0.0017 mm/year [P = 0.049] and 0.0045 ± 0.0021 mm/year [P = 0.032], respectively). There were no differences in the primary and secondary outcomes between the n-3FA supplement and placebo groups.CONCLUSIONSIn people with CV disease and/or CV risk factors and dysglycemia, insulin glargine used to target normoglycemia modestly reduced CIMT progression, whereas daily supplementation with n-3FA had no effect on CIMT progression.