The 17th annual conference from Cardiometabolic Health Congress (CMHC) begins its second day of continuing education in cardiometabolic health. In the past 17 years, this medical conference has grown to be the pinnacle event in evidence-based education for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiometabolic diseases and risk factors.
Opening Remarks, FDA Updates, and Late-Breaking Trials
8:15 a.m. EST — Opening remarks from chairperson Christie M. Ballantyne, MD, began the morning presentations on late-breaking trials and recent FDA approvals in six key areas of cardiometabolic medicine. “For me, this is one of the most exciting aspects of this meeting. This field has been exploding over the last few years in terms of the impact we can make.”Continue reading for the six therapeutic areas discussed and the CMHC experts who presented the trials, drugs, advances, and setbacks experienced in each field over the year that’s passed since the last CMHC annual conference:
8:20 a.m. EST — Updates in Hypertension presented by Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, professor of medicine, and Gerald S. Berenson, Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology at Tulane University School of Medicine. In his presentation on new and emerging therapies for managing resistant hypertension, Dr. Ferdinand reminded audience members that “blood pressure is the most powerful and consistent predictor of cardiovascular disease.”
8:45 a.m. EST — Updates in Obesity Medicine presented by Robert H. Eckel, MD, professor emeritus, and Charles A. Boettcher II, Endowed Chair in Atherosclerosis at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical School. Dr. Eckel covered a study investigating the number of optimal steps per day to combat obesity and overweight but noted that results must be adjusted for rate-of-step, as those who walk more slowly may still benefit even if they don’t make the 10,000 steps-per-day marker. He also reviewed impressive data from a recent trial of tirzepatide, remarking the “impressive data in terms of the dose escalation for a 10-15 mg dose resulted in more weight loss, indicating very good results when compared to placebo.”
9:00 a.m. EST — Updates in Cardiovascular Disease presented by CMHC Senior Planning Committee member Deepak L. Bhatt, MD. Dr. Bhatt took the podium to discuss the latest trials in cardiovascular disease, summing up a dosing trial results by saying, “The message is that in stable patients, sure, you can get away with shorter-duration therapy, but long-term dual-antiplatelet therapy is still the gold standard for patients at high risk for ACS.”
9:15 a.m. EST — Updates in Diabetes, presented by Anne L. Peters, MD.”I like things that make my patients happy, and the Freestyle Libre 3 makes my patients happy,” she said regarding the April 2022 approval of the continuous glucose monitor (CGM). “It’s the size of a penny, it goes directly to a patient’s smartphone, and the little tiny disk is less likely to irate the skin. There are a couple of downsides – it’s not approved by Medicare because they don’t consider a smartphone a medical device. This is a problem for my under-resourced patients in terms of affordability.”
9:30 a.m. EST — Updates in Renal Disease presented by George L. Bakris, MD, “SGLT-2s are cardiorenal risk-reducing drugs that HAPPEN to lower glucose,” he teased Dr. Peters, who had just wrapped up her discussion of their use in diabetes management. As principal investigator on the finerenone trial, Dr. Bakris observed markedly slow disease progression in participants using this agent. Regarding an investigation on whether the time of day affects drug efficacy, he said, “There is no credible data to support taking your meds at night. If it’s more convenient, fine, but it’s not going to improve your outcomes.”
9:45 a.m. EST — Updates in Lipids presented by Christie M. Ballantyne, MD, closed the morning’s sessions on late-breaking trials and FDA approvals. Dr. Ballantyne discussed lipid-lowering therapies in development, saying there had been one new approval since our meeting last year (inclisiran) and a new pathway that came out in August focusing on a novel LDL threshold. “It’s been a tough year for triglycerides. I showed this slide last year, and we’ve already lost two players, but there’s a new player; we are looking into pegozafermin for people with very high triglycerides. This agent has been looked at for liver fat in NAFLD and NASH, as well. I’m looking forward to seeing what this does in Phase II.”
Keynote Address
10:15 a.m. EST — The Keynote Address was delivered by Louis Philipson, MD, PhD, on therapeutic inertia in Cardiometabolic Disease. He said of the conference, “This is actually my first time here, and I’m in awe of what I’ve learned already this morning.”
“Therapeutic inertia is not only the failure of providers to increase pharmacologic therapy when treatment goals are unmet, but includes the broader concept of underutilizing interventions known to prevent negative outcomes.” – Dr. Philipson
Read a full recap of Dr. Philipson’s Keynote address, courtesy of our partners at Healio.
Exhibit Hall Break
10:45 a.m. EST — Attendees enjoyed a break in the Exhibit Hall, where industry members answered questions, offered solutions, and connected their brand’s products and solutions with CMHC’s provider audiences.
Session I: Obesity & Lifestyle
12:45 p.m. EST — For the afternoon sessions on obesity and lifestyle, Dr. Eckel returned to give the opening remarks and introduce the expert lineup of speakers to discuss areas of approach to improve outcomes and reduce obesity-associated diseases and risk factors.
Physical Activity & Cardiometabolic Health: Benefits and Perspectives presented by Jill Kanaley, PhD, exercise physiologist and professor at the University of Missouri.
“Exercise increases insulin sensitivity acutely up to 24-48 hours post-exercise, but is not a chronic effect unless patients participate in regular activity at least every other day.” – Dr. Kanaley
Healthy Eating Patterns: Updates from Recent Guidelines
Presented by Amy Hess Fischl, MS, RD, LDN, BC-ADM, CDCES, advanced-practice dietitian and diabetes care specialist at the University of Chicago.
“We need to look at the quality of diet. For instance, someone may be vegetarian but consume large quantities of cheese, peanut butter, and processed foods. So, someone who eats meat may very well be consuming more plant-based foods than a vegetarian.” – Dr. Hess-Fischl
Pre-Obesity: Intervening Early to Decrease Future Complications
This lecture was presented by Michelle L. Look, MD, obesity medicine physician at the San Diego Sports Medicine and Family Health Center.
Read a full recap of Dr. Look’s presentation, courtesy of our partners at Healio.
Dispelling Common Myths About Obesity
In this energetic and engaging presentation, obesity medicine physician scientist Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, MBA, explained why all calories are not created equal, why obesity is a disease, not a bad habit or lack of willpower, and why the most important organ involved in obesity is the brain.
Making Sense of the Evolving Treatment Landscape in Obesity
Louis J. Aronne, MD, professor of metabolic research at Weill Cornell Medicine and director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center, presented this captivating session complete with a challenging patient case.
Challenging Obesity Cases & Panel Discussion
4:20 p.m. EST — In many attendees’ favorite part of the conference, a panel of experts took the stage to discuss some challenging real-life cases in patients with obesity. Featuring lively debate and audience interaction, the experts imparted insights and tips that audience members can implement into patient care right away on Monday morning.
Stay tuned for another recap of the sessions tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 21 when we detail the exciting and enlightening topics presented on the third day of the 17th Annual CMHC.