Some 30 Cases Of Confirmed Pancreatitis Linked To Byetta Diabetes Drug By FDA
The Byetta diabetes medication is one of many drugs that diabetics have as options to control their blood glucose levels. Also known as exenatide, the injectable medicine has proven itself in several studies and in real world application to be extremely effective in maintaining glucose levels. Unfortunately, it also carries increased risks of serious, even life-threatening adverse effects. The Byetta diabetes therapy is a synthetic version of a hormone found in the saliva of the Gila monster, a type of venomous lizard that lives in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Its effectiveness is attributed to the fact that the lizard’s hormone is very similar to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that is found in the human digestive track that can increase insulin production when blood sugar levels are too high. Introduced to the market on April 28, 2005, the drug was created as a way to address patients that were not benefitting from the popular oral medications that were available on the market at that time. As an injectable exenatide class medicine, the new drug is administered with a syringe (or pre-measured pen, typically into the arm, upper thigh, or stomach areas), which has led some to incorrectly identify the chemical compound as insulin. Byetta diabetes treatments are produced and marketed by the companies Amylin Pharmaceutical and Eli Lilly and Company, which have been criticized for their handling of negative reactions to the drug. In fact, in 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the companies that the prescription medications had been directly linked to at least 30 confirmed cases of pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is a painful disease characterized by inflammation of the pancreas, which causes upper abdominal pain that can radiate throughout the back, among other things. Although not as serious, the following symptoms are mild, early indicators of complications that can arise: More severe problems are typically acute, or extremely painful and appear without warning. These symptoms can be signs of internal bleeding, extreme changes in blood pressure, even elevated heart and breathing rates. If you experience any of the following symptoms after taking your dosage, contact a healthcare professional immediately. You may need an immediate CT scan to identify your malady. Shock Low calcium High blood glucose Dehydration Kidney failure Respiratory complications Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) Infection of the organ bed
The manufacturers are also in the process of developing a longer-acting version of the treatment. Given concerns over the potential problems associated with the current concentration, the FDA will likely require a longer-term study of any newly developed drug. If the medication does cause damage to the pancreas, a formulation with a longer half-life will simply remain in the body longer and potentially cause even more injury.
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