Speaker Spotlight: Anne Peters, MD
Upsides and Downsides to SGLT/s
Time & place:
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Sunday | Room 6A
Anne Peters, MD
About the speaker:
Dr. Peters, professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Director of the USC Clinical Diabetes Programs, has focused her research on testing new approaches for diagnosing and treating diabetes and developing systems of care to improve outcomes in people with diabetes. She was one of the first physicians to identify the development of diabetic ketoacidosis in off-label use of SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with type 1 diabetes, and as a result published the first case series highlighting the problem (in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes).
“I like the mechanism of action of these agents,” she said. “I felt they were good drugs, but I also became the person who identified one of its major problems. Therefore I am very interested in teaching people how to use these drugs safely.”
Session overview:
SGLT-2 inhibitors use a mechanism of action that is completely different than any other diabetes drug, noted Dr. Peters. They are also effective in people with both type 1 (off-label) and type 2 diabetes (on-label). But for the drug to be truly successful, patients need to understand the risks and benefits, especially the impressive improvements in cardiovascular outcomes. “The key is selecting appropriate patients who could benefit in significant ways from being on these drugs,” said Dr. Peters. She will outline the new research findings about which patients seem to benefit the most and share her considerable clinical experience in providing guidelines on how to use the agents safely.
Why this session matters to AADE16 attendees:
“Diabetes educators are the key to adherence,” she said. “If a patient isn’t adequately informed about what the risks and benefits of these drugs are, then they may not use them.”
SGLT-2 inhibitors, more so than many other drugs, have side effects that patients notice, including frequent urination and the potential for more yeast infections and bladder infections.
“Because of the data on benefit, it is really important to me to get patients to tolerate the drug,” she said. “I think that’s where an educator fits in because they can tell the patient these are the tricks to taking it, this is why it is worth putting in the time and effort to get used to it. You have to infuse patients with your own enthusiasm for a drug to get them to take it.”
Take-Home messages:
The session will provide very hands-on specific information with guidelines on who will benefit most from SGLT-2 inhibitors among patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
“Educators will be aware of all of the scope of benefits and risks and how to ensure patient adherence and safety when starting these drugs,” said Dr. Peters.
