American Diabetes Association, June 21-24

The annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association was held this year from June 21 to 24 in Orlando, Florida, drawing more than 15,000 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.

As part of the SURMOUNT-OSA trial, Atul Malhotra, M.D., of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues found that tirzepatide may serve as a new treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The authors conducted two randomized phase 3 trials of tirzepatide compared with placebo among individuals with OSA and obesity. The first study included individuals not using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), whereas the second study included individuals using CPAP. The researchers observed a statistically and clinically significant improvement in apnea-hypopnea index (the primary outcome) in patients receiving tirzepatide, with concomitant improvements seen in blood pressure, C-reactive protein, hypoxic burden, body weight, and patient reported outcomes.

“The standard of care has always been to treat both obesity and OSA in afflicted patients,” Malhotra said. “Tirzepatide offers an option to promote weight loss effectively and may be a reasonable therapy for OSA patients unable or unwilling to use CPAP.”

Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, which manufactures tirzepatide and funded the study.

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In a 12-month retrospective analysis, Satish K. Garg, M.D., of the University of Colorado in Denver, and colleagues found that continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) should be recommend for all patients with diabetes.

The authors used data from a large claims database of over 7.1 million patients with type 2 diabetes using noninsulin therapies, basal insulin, and prandial insulin, to compare hemoglobin A1c levels before and after CGM use. The researchers found that CGM use among type 2 diabetes patients improved glucose control across all therapeutic regimens studied, with improvement seen as early as three months.

“I hope there will be more adoption of CGM use across all patients with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes,” Garg said.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

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Peter Calhoun, Ph.D., of the Jaeb Center for Health Research in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues found that CGM metrics can accurately classify risk of imminent stage 3 type 1 diabetes.