Battling Diabetes

Byetta is in a class of diabetic medications not mentioned in the August 11, Battling Diabetes post, Oral Diabetic Meds Unraveled.

Byetta (the trade name for exenatide) is an incretin mimetic. Incretin mimetics work by mimicking the body’s natural incretin hormones which lower blood sugar. Incretin hormones or gut hormones are released in response to food and act by stimulating insulin and inhibiting glucagon.

Byetta:

• Assists pancreatic response to release more insulin as needed to digest food
• Prevents the pancreas from giving out glucagon which causes the liver to release glucose into the blood stream when it is not needed.
• Delays gastric emptying which makes you feel full longer.

Approved June 1, 2005 by the FDA and manufactured and marketed by Amylin and Eli Lily and Company, Byetta is considered an adjuvant therapy for Type II diabetics who do not have control with metformin, and or sulfonylureas and or thiazolinediones. Adjuvant therapy is treatment given in addition to primary therapy.

Byetta is a synthetic hormone first discovered in the saliva of the gila monster (lizard).

Basic Byetta use information:

Byetta is given as an injection, similar to insulin and comes in pre filled pens which are stored in the refrigerator. Needles do not come with Byetta.

Byetta is used one hour before eating a meal, and us usually injected twice a day at the same time each day, before the morning and evening meal. Byetta is NOT used after eating a meal. Dosing pens are in 5 mcg or 10 mcg. You can download a user manual for the 5 mcg pen or the 10 mcg pen.

The makers of Byetta are currently testing a long lasting injectable for use once a week. The current patent for Byetta expires in 2013

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