Glycemic Control and Complications in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (VADT)

Overview[ - collapse ][ - ]

Purpose This study is a prospective, 2-arm, randomized controlled trial to determine whether glycemic control, achieved through intensification of treatment, is effective in preventing clinical macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 DM who are no longer responsive to oral agents alone. The study consists of a two-year accrual period and five years of follow-up (7 years total) of 1700 patients across 20 centers. We have powered the study to detect a 21% reduction in the primary event rate. Additional study goals are to determine whether the expenditures, discomfort, and adverse effects associated with intensive intervention are justified in terms of their clinical benefits, considering both macrovascular and microvascular complications.
ConditionType 2 Diabetes Mellitus
InterventionDrug: Insulin
Drug: Glimepiride
Drug: Rosiglitazone
Drug: Metformin
PhasePhase 3
SponsorDepartment of Veterans Affairs
Responsible PartyDepartment of Veterans Affairs
ClinicalTrials.gov IdentifierNCT00032487
First ReceivedMarch 21, 2002
Last UpdatedMarch 7, 2014
Last verifiedMarch 2014

Tracking Information[ + expand ][ + ]

First Received DateMarch 21, 2002
Last Updated DateMarch 7, 2014
Start DateDecember 2000
Estimated Primary Completion DateMay 2008
Current Primary Outcome MeasuresPrimary Major Macrovascular Events [Time Frame: Post baseline time to the first major macrovascular event up to 82 months] [Designated as safety issue: No]Myocardial infarction (MI), intervention for coronary artery or Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), severe inoperable Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), new or worsening Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), stroke, Cardiovascular (CV) death, or amputation for ischemic gangrene.
Current Secondary Outcome MeasuresSecondary Endpoint [Time Frame: Post baseline time to first event up to 82 months] [Designated as safety issue: No]New or worsening angina, new transient ischemic attack (TIA), new intermittent claudication or critical limb ischemia with Doppler evidence or total mortality.

Descriptive Information[ + expand ][ + ]

Brief TitleGlycemic Control and Complications in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (VADT)
Official TitleCSP #465 - Glycemic Control and Complications in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (VADT)
Brief Summary
This study is a prospective, 2-arm, randomized controlled trial to determine whether
glycemic control, achieved through intensification of treatment, is effective in preventing
clinical macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 DM who are no longer responsive
to oral agents alone. The study consists of a two-year accrual period and five years of
follow-up (7 years total) of 1700 patients across 20 centers. We have powered the study to
detect a 21% reduction in the primary event rate. Additional study goals are to determine
whether the expenditures, discomfort, and adverse effects associated with intensive
intervention are justified in terms of their clinical benefits, considering both
macrovascular and microvascular complications.
Detailed Description
Primary Hypothesis: Intensive glycemic control reduces major macrovascular morbidity and
mortality compared to standard glycemic control in type 2 diabetics who have failed simple
therapy.

Secondary Hypotheses: Intensive glycemic control, compared to standard glycemic control,
reduces other macrovascular morbidity and total mortality.

Intervention: The intervention is tight glycemic control, aiming at normalization of HbA1c.
This will be achieved through stepped care therapy, using all categories of tools available
to most diabetologists. These categories include: patient education of diabetes control
(e.g. diet, exercise, etc.), oral diabetes medications, and insulin. All drugs to be used
are approved. Specific agents will be used within the different classes to promote
consistency across sites.

The comparison is standard control, aiming at HbA1c of 8 - 9%. The same agents will be
used, but at reduced doses.

The general approach to the stepped care treatment protocol is to treat both groups with the
same agents, but at different intensities (doses) (taking into account
intolerance/contraindications). The sequence of steps is shown below.

STEP 1: Either Metformin (obese) or Glimepiride (lean)in combination with Rosiglitazone STEP
2: Insulin STEP 3: Increase doses in STEPS 1,2 in the Standard group. Since the Intensive
group is already at maximal doses of oral agents, they will intensify insulin and may add
Acarbose/Miglitol.

STEP 4: For standard, proceed as in STEP 3 for Intensive; Intensives will use multiple daily
injection (MDI) of insulin STEP 5: "Tool Box": Miscellaneous agents, tailored to the
individual patient.

Primary Outcomes: Time to one of the following major macrovascular events: myocardial
infarction, stroke, new or worsening congestive heart failure, amputation for ischemic
gangrene, invasive intervention for coronary artery or peripheral vascular disease,
inoperable coronary artery disease, or cardiovascular death.

Secondary Outcomes: Angina, transient ischemic attack, intermittent claudication, critical
limb ischemia, and total mortality.

Study Abstract: A quarter of the patients treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) Health Administration have type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The costs of care for the
treatment of patients with type 2 DM are extremely high, both in treatment expenditures for
the metabolic disorder and for the care of end-organ complications. Although patients
initially respond to diet and oral agent treatment, most eventually need insulin to
near-normalize their glucose level, as the disease is characterized by progressive loss of
insulin secretory capacity.

After several clinical trials in both type 1 and type 2 DM, there is a reasonable certainty
that about half of the incidence and rate of progression of indicators of microvascular
complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy) can be prevented or delayed by
achieving and maintaining near-normalization of glycemic levels. Consequently, there has
been a uniform trend in recent guidelines to advise a near-normalization of glycemic levels
in both type 1 and type 2 DM. Note, however, that the clinical consequences of
microvascular deterioration are dependent not only on glycemic levels but also on the
duration of the disease. With the early onset of diabetes typical in type 1 patients, there
is sufficient time for development of clinical microvascular complications, and prevention
of these complications is a goal of treatment in type 1 diabetics. In contrast, the
prevalence of hard clinical endpoints indicative of microangiopathy, such as renal failure
or blindness, is very low in patients in whom the disease is diagnosed after the 5th decade,
the greatest age of prevalence of patients with type 2 DM in this country. Furthermore,
microvascular complications can be minimized by the well-established benefits of blood
pressure and lipid control, as well as by therapeutic intervention (photocoagulation,
cataract extraction). Since the costs and efforts necessary to reach near-normal levels of
glycemia are very high, there is a need to determine the cost/benefit ratios of such
expenditures in the population subject to type 2 diabetes, namely patients in their 6th to
8th decades of life.

In contrast with the late and relatively infrequent appearance of clinical endpoints of
microangiopathy, macrovascular complications (i.e., coronary heart disease and peripheral
vascular disease) are responsible for the overwhelming majority of the mortality, morbidity
and treatment costs in the American population of type 2 diabetics, even more so in the
older VA diabetic population. In the recently concluded United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes
Study (UKPDS) on type 2 DM, macrovascular mortality was 70 times higher than that of
microvascular mortality. Intervention studies to determine the effect of rigorous glycemic
control on these macrovascular events are inconclusive and contradictory. Intensive
treatment in patients who are newly diagnosed has failed to demonstrate a beneficial effect
of tight control on cardiovascular complications. The few studies conducted in later stages
of the disease (i.e., in patients requiring insulin treatment, alone or in combination with
oral agents) have been conflicting and indeterminate.

The decision on intensity of treatment is further compromised by current recommendations to
attenuate glycemic control goals, especially when usage of insulin is required, both in
patients with the common comorbidities of overweight or preexisting cardiovascular disease,
and in those in the later decades of life. These concerns are based on fears that intensive
insulin treatment might be associated with weight gain, increased cardiovascular risk
factors (hypertriglyceridemia, dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance), and
adverse effects of recurrent hypoglycemic events. The prevalent level of glycemic control
in insulin-treated type 2 diabetics is relatively poor, likely due to a combination of
practical difficulties and the uncertainties of what are the safe and effective glycemic
goals. There is no long-term study currently being done in the high-risk population typical
of the patient population in the VA. Before the Department of Veterans Affairs devotes
considerable resources to a widespread intervention (a quarter of patients) that may be of
little value, and might even be counterproductive, a trial to determine the value of the
intervention is mandated. It is expected that CSP #465 will provide the scientific data on
which the VA can base clinical treatment of Type II diabetes.

CSP #465 is a prospective, 2-arm, randomized controlled trial to determine whether glycemic
control, achieved through intensification of treatment, is effective in preventing clinical
macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 DM who are no longer responsive to oral
agents alone. The study consists of a two-year accrual period and five years of follow-up
(7 years total) of 1700 patients across 20 centers. We have powered the study to detect a
25% reduction in the primary event rate. Additional study goals are to determine whether
the expenditures, discomfort, and adverse effects associated with intensive intervention are
justified in terms of their clinical benefits, considering both macrovascular and
microvascular complications.

Main Manuscript:Duckworth W, Abraira C, Moritz T, Reda D, Emanuele N et al., VADT
investigators: Glucose Control and Complications in the VA Diabetes Trial (VADT). N Eng J
of Med 360:129-139, 2009.
Study TypeInterventional
Study PhasePhase 3
Study DesignAllocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment
ConditionType 2 Diabetes Mellitus
InterventionDrug: Insulin
Insulin (intermediate or long-lasting) in a.m. 1 unit 9 lbs Arm 1 Insulin (intermediate or long-lasting) in a.m. 1 unit 9 lbs, add one injection of insulin Arm 2
Other Names:
  • Lantus,
  • NovoLog (aspart),
  • Novopen,
  • NPH,
  • Novolin R,
  • Lente
Drug: Glimepiride
Glimepiride 2 mg Arm 1 Glimepiride 8 mg Arm 2
Other Names:
AmarylDrug: Rosiglitazone
Rosiglitazone 4 mg Arm 1 Rosiglitazone 4 mg bid Arm 2
Other Names:
AvandiaDrug: Metformin
Metformin 500 mg (go up to 1000 mg) Arm 1 Metformin 500 mg (go up to 2000 mg) Arm 2
Other Names:
  • Fortamet,
  • Glucophage,
  • Glucophage XR,
  • Riomet,
  • Glumetza
Study Arm (s)
  • Active Comparator: Standard glycemic control
    Standard glycemic control to maintain HbA1c between 8.0-9.0%. Metformin 500 mg Rosiglitazone 4 mg Glimepiride 2 mg Insulin 1 unit 9 lbs
  • Experimental: Intensive glycemic control
    Intensive glycemic control lower HbA1c below 6.0%. Metformin 500 mg (go up to 2000 mg) Rosiglitazone 4 mg bid Glimepiride 8 mg Insulin 1 unit 9 lbs add one injection to Arm 1

Recruitment Information[ + expand ][ + ]

Recruitment StatusCompleted
Estimated Enrollment1791
Estimated Completion DateMay 2008
Estimated Primary Completion DateMay 2008
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients with type 2 DM who are no longer responsive to maximum dose of one or more
oral agents.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Angina pectoris, Canadian Class I-II,

- congestive heart failure, Class III-IV,

- stroke, incapacitating or in last 6 months,

- Myocardial infarction (MI) or invasive cardiovascular procedure within the past six
months,

- ongoing diabetic gangrene,

- BMI > 40,

- hemoglobinopathy that interferes with A1c monitoring,

- serum creatinine > 1.6 mg/dL,

- fasting C-peptide < 0.21 pmol/ml,

- Alanine Amino Transaminase (ALT) > 3 times normal or serum bilirubin > 1.9 mg/dL,

- malignancy or noncardiac life-threatening diseases making life expectancy < 5 years,

- autonomic neuropathy,

- symptomatic pancreatic insufficiency (endocrine or exocrine),

- recurrent seizures within the past year,

- hypopituitarism,

- pregnancy, lactation, or planning a pregnancy,

- active psychosis or substance abuse,

- lack of access to a person who can assist or be called in an emergency,

- underlying conditions that in the site PI's judgment may prevent adherence to
protocol,

- current participation in another clinical trial.
GenderBoth
Ages40 Years
Accepts Healthy VolunteersNo
ContactsNot Provided
Location CountriesUnited States

Administrative Information[ + expand ][ + ]

NCT Number NCT00032487
Other Study ID Numbers465
Has Data Monitoring CommitteeYes
Information Provided ByDepartment of Veterans Affairs
Study SponsorDepartment of Veterans Affairs
CollaboratorsNational Eye Institute (NEI)
SmithKline Beecham
Investigators Study Chair: Carlos Abraira, MD Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FLStudy Chair: William Duckworth, MD Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, Phoenix AZ
Verification DateMarch 2014

Locations[ + expand ][ + ]

Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center
Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85012
Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, Tucson
Tucson, Arizona, United States, 85723
VA Central California Health Care System, Fresno
Fresno, California, United States, 93703
VA Medical Center, Long Beach
Long Beach, California, United States, 90822
VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego
San Diego, California, United States, 92161
Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL
Miami, Florida, United States, 33125
Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
Hines, Illinois, United States, 60141-5000
Richard Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202-2884
VA Medical Center, Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40502
VA Medical Center, Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55417
VA Medical Center, Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68105-1873
VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange
East Orange, New Jersey, United States, 07018
VA Pittsburgh Health Care System
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15240
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29401-5799
VA Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37212-2637
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (152)
Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
VA South Texas Health Care System, San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center
Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23249
VA Medical Center, Salem VA
Salem, Virginia, United States, 24153
VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle
Seattle, Washington, United States, 98108
VA Medical Center, San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00921