Newer GLP-1s, pushback on research cuts, and a protest at ADA 2026
核心洞察
The American Diabetes Association's annual conference in New Orleans featured major GLP-1 (搜索) data readouts, including next-gen obesity (搜索) drugs from Eli Lilly, Pfizer/Metsera, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
A senior NIH adviser delivered a keynote endorsing the Make America Healthy Again movement, sparking pushback from attendees after NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya withdrew.
Six ADA members, including a past president, were reportedly escorted out after attempting to distribute an editorial criticizing Trump administration policies published in ADA's own Diabetes Care journal.
The American Diabetes Association's 2026 annual conference in New Orleans brought together the diabetes and metabolic disease research community for three days of data readouts, presentations, and unexpected controversy. The meeting, which wrapped up today, showcased emerging data on next-generation GLP-1 (搜索) receptor agonists while also becoming a stage for political tensions surrounding federal research policy.
GLP-1 (搜索) developments take center stage
As anticipated, the conference featured significant news on the GLP-1 (搜索) drug class. STAT's Elizabeth Cooney and Elaine Chen reported a quick roundup of drugs discussed over the weekend. Highlights included safety and tolerability data on Eli Lilly's next-generation obesity (搜索) drug, detailed data from a mid-stage study on the obesity drug that Pfizer acquired from Metsera, and new data on Boehringer Ingelheim's obesity drug candidate. These readouts reflect the intensifying race among pharmaceutical companies to advance the next wave of incretin-based therapies.
Keynote address sparks pushback
A senior adviser to the NIH, Rick Woychik, delivered the conference's keynote address on Friday, substituting for NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. According to the ADA, Bhattacharya was unable to attend due to an in-person meeting with President Trump. Woychik, a senior adviser to Bhattacharya, made what STAT described as a "full-throated endorsement of the Make America Healthy Again movement," drawing pushback from attendees. STAT's Elizabeth Cooney reported on both the address and the ensuing reaction from the audience.
Protest and police interaction at the convention center
In an unusual turn of events, approximately half a dozen ADA members, including a past president, were reportedly escorted out of the convention center by police on Friday. The members had been attempting to hand out copies of an editorial that criticized Trump administration policies. Notably, the editorial in question was published by the ADA's own journal, Diabetes Care. The ADA's media team told MedPage Today that the members had violated the organization's code of conduct rules.
Broader context of federal research policy
The conference unfolded against a backdrop of significant policy shifts affecting the biomedical research enterprise. The Trump administration's "Schedule F" executive order, which reclassifies thousands of federal positions — including those within HHS — would create a new class of federal employees who are not political appointees but could be fired at will, removing civil service protections. Health policy experts note that creating a more politicized workforce is part of a broader goal to shift power away from Congress and toward the executive branch, with potential implications for work at the NIH, CDC, FDA, and CMS.
The convergence of cutting-edge metabolic science and contentious policy debates at ADA 2026 underscores the complex environment in which diabetes and obesity (搜索) research now operates, as both therapeutic innovation and the federal infrastructure supporting it face transformative pressures.