New Diabetes Drug Comes From Lizard
A drug derived from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday as a way for type 2 diabetics to better control their blood sugar levels.
Byetta (exenatide) is the first among a new class of diabetes drugs called incretin mimetics — synthetic medications that mimic action of a hormone (GLP-1) that spurs insulin production after a person eats and blood sugar levels rise above a certain threshold. Traditional diabetes drugs that promote insulin production do so even if glucose levels aren’t high enough, which could cause a dangerous low blood-sugar condition called hypoglycemia.
Byetta, derived from the lizard’s saliva, mimics that action of the human hormone GLP-1, which prompts the body to secrete insulin and is also thought to play a role in deciding when a person feels full.
Indication: BYETTA is indicated as adjunctive therapy to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are taking metformin, a sulfonylurea, or a combination of metformin and a sulfonylurea but have not achieved adequate glycemic control.
Precautions:
1. BYETTA is not a substitute for insulin in insulin-requiring patients. BYETTA should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis.
2. BYETTA is not recommended for use in patients with end stage renal disease, severe renal impairment, or severe gastrointestinal disease.
Adverse Reactions: Patients receiving BYETTA in combination with a sulfonylurea had an increased risk of hypoglycemia. Other side effects include - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, feeling jittery, dizziness, headache and dyspepsia. It also reduces gastric emptying time leading to decreased appetite.
It is administered as a sub-cutaneous injection similar to Insulin.
More information - Byetta, Forbes, Health Talk
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February 14th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
At least people can now have a wide range of choices regarding drugs for their diabetes.