American Diabetes Association, June 12-16

The American Diabetes Association 80th Scientific Sessions

The annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association was held virtually this year from June 12 to 16 and attracted participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in diabetes. The conference highlighted the latest advances in diabetes research and improving patient care, with presentations focusing on treatment recommendations and advances in management technology.

In the RELIEF study, Ronan Roussel, M.D., Ph.D., of the Hôpital Bichat, Fédération de Diabétologie, AP-HP in Paris, and colleagues found that use of the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system was associated with a decrease in the rate of diabetic ketoacidosis hospitalizations for patients with type 1 (52 percent decrease) and type 2 (47 percent decrease) diabetes.

“This decrease was even more striking in patients using very few test strips reimbursed during the year before their first use of the FreeStyle Libre (presumably, the patients did not check their blood glucose levels often) and in patients using more strips reimbursed during the year before their first use of FreeStyle Libre (presumably, they had unstable diabetes, so they needed to check their blood glucose levels more frequently),” Roussel said. “New use of flash glucose monitoring with the FreeStyle Libre had major and rapid relevant clinical benefits for patients, which could lead to better use of health care resources. The results support wider use of the device.”

Several authors disclosed financial ties to Abbott, the manufacturer of the FreeStyle Libre.

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In the FLAIR study, Richard Bergenstal, M.D., of the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of a next-generation automatic insulin delivery system in a patient population with difficult-to-control type 1 diabetes.

“The population we studied is unlike other study populations used in previous studies,” Bergenstal said. “We took a broad group of type 1 diabetes patients, including young adults and adolescents, who have not been using insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, or hybrid closed-loop systems. We broadened the study entry criteria to really understand the use of this next-generation automatic insulin delivery system as it compared to a previous generation of approved hybrid closed-loop technology.”

The investigators evaluated the effectiveness of a next-generation automated insulin delivery system across seven study sites around the world among 14- to 29-year-old type 1 diabetes patients and compared it to a previous-generation hybrid closed-loop system, the Medtronic MiniMed 670G.