Germany Summit Reveals New Heart & Kidney Wins for Diabetics

German Research Hub Spotlights Game-Changing Diabetes Drug Trials

A study from Germany — led by the prestigious Helmholtz Center Munich — brings together some of the most important cardiovascular and kidney disease findings of 2022, offering American diabetes patients a powerful global perspective on treatments that may already be available to them.

The 8th annual Cardiovascular Outcome Trial (CVOT) Summit, held virtually in November 2022, gathered cardiologists, kidney specialists, endocrinologists, and primary care physicians from around the world to analyze three landmark clinical trials: DELIVER, EMPA-KIDNEY, and SURMOUNT-1. Together, these studies are reshaping how type 2 diabetes (T2D) is managed — not just for blood sugar control, but for protecting the heart, kidneys, and overall body weight.

What the Key Trials Found

• DELIVER Trial: Confirmed that SGLT2 inhibitors (a class of diabetes drugs that includes dapagliflozin, brand name Farxiga) significantly reduce hospitalizations and serious complications from heart failure — even in patients with preserved heart function, a group previously underserved by treatment options.
• EMPA-KIDNEY Trial: Demonstrated that empagliflozin (Jardiance), another SGLT2 inhibitor, dramatically slows the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in people with diabetes. Kidney disease affects approximately 1 in 3 American adults with diabetes, making this finding especially urgent.
• SURMOUNT-1 Trial: Showed that tirzepatide — a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist (the same drug class as Mounjaro and Zepbound) — produced remarkable weight loss results in people with obesity, a critical driver of type 2 diabetes in the US.

Understanding the Numbers

Participants in these trials often had blood glucose targets discussed in mmol/L, the European standard. For US patients accustomed to mg/dL: a common target of 7.0 mmol/L HbA1c equivalent aligns with the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) recommended goal of below 7% HbA1c for most adults. The kidney protection benefits were seen across patients regardless of whether their blood sugar was tightly controlled, reinforcing that these drugs work through multiple protective pathways beyond glucose alone.

Beyond Blood Sugar: A New Treatment Philosophy

The summit also tackled clinical inertia — the tendency of doctors and patients to delay medication changes even when current treatment isn't working. German and international experts called for earlier use of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 drugs in diabetes care, a recommendation now echoed by 2023 ADA Standards of Care in the US.

Discussions also covered continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), novel insulin formulations, and updated guidelines for managing T2D alongside chronic kidney disease — topics directly relevant to the millions of Americans living with both conditions simultaneously.

Why This Matters for US Patients

The drugs highlighted in this German-led summit — Jardiance, Farxiga, Mounjaro, and Zepbound — are FDA-approved and available in the United States today. Yet many American patients with diabetes and heart disease or kidney disease are still not receiving them. This international research confirms what US guidelines are beginning to emphasize: if you have type 2 diabetes plus heart failure, CKD, or obesity, ask your doctor whether an SGLT2 inhibitor or GLP-1 medication is right for you. The evidence, now reviewed by experts across multiple continents, is compelling.

Source: Schnell O, Battelino T, Bergenstal R, et al. "CVOT Summit 2022 Report: new cardiovascular, kidney, and glycemic outcomes." Cardiovascular Diabetology. 2023. PMID: 36927451. DOI: 10.1186/s12933-023-01788-6