ADA 84th Scientific Sessions: 3 Studies Primary Care Clinicians Should Put on Their Radar

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The American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 84th Scientific Sessions, is taking place in Orlando, Florida, and virtually from June 21-24, 2024. The meeting will host over 11 000 health care professionals and feature over 200 sessions and 2000 original research presentations.

Given that the meeting opens in approximately 24 hours, we scanned the late-breaking science and poster presentations and chose 3 new studies in clinical areas of interest to primary care practice. For each of them we provide some background below from previous reviews of the novel drugs published on Patient Care. We hope you will find the background useful.

1. Tirzepatide for obesity-related obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

New phase 3 data from the SURMOUNT-OSA clinical trial will be presented during the late-breaking symposium titled “SURMOUNT-OSA Trial Results and Potential Role of Tirzepatide in Treating Obesity-Related Obstructive Sleep Apnea” on Friday, June 21, 2024, from 3:45 to 5:15 PM ET.

Background: Topline results released by tirzepatide developer Eli Lilly in April 2024 showed that tirzepatide reduced OSA severity by 63% regardless of use of positive airway pressure therapy. Approximately 20 million of the 80 million US adults with OSA live with moderate-to-severe disease and yet 85% of individuals with OSA remain undiagnosed, thus untreated.

“Addressing this unmet need head-on is critical, and while there are pharmaceutical treatments for the excessive sleepiness associated with OSA, tirzepatide has the potential to be the first pharmaceutical treatment for the underlying disease,” Jeff Emmick, MD, PhD, senior vice president, product development at Eli Lilly, said in an accompanying press release.

2. Semaglutide for prevention of major kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Findings from the FLOW clinical trial will be presented during the late-breaking symposium titled “The First Dedicated Kidney Outcome Trial with a GLP-1 Receptor Agonist—Once-Weekly Semaglutide and the FLOW Trial Results” on Monday, June 24, 2024, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM ET.

Background: FLOW, launched in 2019, was a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, superiority trial comparing the safety and efficacy of once weekly injectable semaglutide 1.0 mg against placebo as an adjunct to standard of care on kidney outcomes in a cohort of 3533 individuals with T2D and CKD.

In March 2024, topline results were announced by the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, which showed semaglutide reduced the risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular-and renal-related death by 24% compared with placebo in patients with T2D and CKD.

Then in May 2024, a full readout of the data was presented at the 61st European Renal Association (ERA) Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. Results showed that participants who received semaglutide experienced a reduction in progression of CKD as well as a 21% reduction in risk of renal-specific components of the primary composite outcome. Moreover, investigators reported an 18% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in semaglutide-treated participants and a reduced risk of death from any cause of 20% vs placebo.

“These findings offer great promise in reshaping treatment strategies for individuals at high risk of diabetes-related complications, offering a new avenue for kidney and cardiovascular protection,” presenting author professor Vlado Perkovic, MBBS, PhD, provost of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, said in a press release.

3. Novel “triagonist” retatrutide improves markers of pancreatic beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity

Results from a new study titled Retatrutide, an Agonist of GIP, GLP-1, and Glucagon Receptors, Improves Markers of Pancreatic Beta Cell Function and Insulin Sensitivity will be presented on Sunday, June 23, 2024, during the oral presentation session “Weighing Opportunities of Incretin-Based Therapy in Obesity” between 1:30 and 3:30 PM ET. The analysis examined mechanisms by which retatrutide improves glycemic control by assessing markers of beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity in patients with T2D and obesity.

Background: Retatrutide, dubbed a “triagonist,” combines a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist, and a glucagon receptor agonist. In June 2023, results from a 48-week phase 2 clinical trial of patients with overweight or obesity without T2D showed that those who received retatrutide achieved a mean body weight reduction of 17.5% at the 24-week point and a mean reduction of 24.2% at the end of the 48-week treatment duration. In a substudy of the phase 2 trial, researchers found that in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), retatrutide resolved steatosis in over 85% of participants.