The 80th annual (virtual) conference of the American Diabetes Association: June 12–16, 2020

Abstract

A large number of presentations on clinical, basic science, and genetics were discussed at the first virtual American Diabetes Association conference held in June 2020. Studies of relevance to practicing clinicians included the results of the VERTIS-CV study that confirmed the SGLT2 inhibitor ertugliflozin was similar to other drugs in the group in terms of cardiovascular safety, heart failure, and renal benefits. A symposium on heart failure also highlighted the benefits of this group of drugs for treating heart failure both in patients with and without diabetes. The new Food and Drug Administration guidance for new diabetes drugs was presented and created a lively discussion about the pros and cons of these new rules. Another lively debate on whether there is a place for sulfonylureas in the era of the modern diabetes medications reached the conclusion that there is probably still a place for these old and established drugs. On the lipid front, the safety of statins was emphasized in face of negative publicity in the social media, while the recently published REDUCE-IT study showed that tackling low-density lipoprotein cholesterol only may not be enough in the battle against increased cardiovascular risk in diabetes. Looking to the future, a weekly basal insulin may be in sight in a few years' time.