The Makers Of The Byetta Medication Use Synthetic Version Of Lizard Spit
One of a number of drugs designed to help diabetics control their blood glucose levels, the Byetta medication (also known as exenatide) has been known to be extremely effective. Unfortunately, it also carries the risk of serious and even life-threatening adverse effects. Interestingly, the drug 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. Because the lizard version remains effective for much longer than the one in our own bodies, this synthetic formulation has proven useful for diabetics. Due to this history, it is therefore sometimes referred to as “lizard spit.” There are several different ways that Byetta medication works in the body: • Augmenting pancreas response after meals
• Suppressing pancreatic release of glucagon while eating
• Slowing down gastric emptying
• Reducing appetite by promoting satiety via hypothalamic receptors
• Reducing liver fat content The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the medicine on April 28, 2005 for use in patients who were not benefiting from the more common oral medicines. The new Byetta medication is injectable instead, provided subcutaneously twice a day, typically in the stomach, upper arm, or upper thigh. Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Company are the manufacturers behind the drug. They have come under some criticism for perhaps not having supplied proper warnings on the label about potential adverse effects. Though not as serious, the common ones include: • Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Heartburn
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Feeling jittery
• Diarrhea
• Rash at the injection site
However, perhaps the most troubling complication is the associated risk of pancreatitis. Spurred by at least 30 reports of this disorder in patients using exenatide, the FDA required the company to add warnings to the label in 2007. There have since been more deaths, and the FDA is reportedly considering requiring even more alterations to these warnings that will include references to other forms of the illness that involve bleeding and cell death. Pancreatitis involves an inflammation of the pancreas. The type typically associated with exenatide is acute, which comes on suddenly. The hallmark symptom is severe upper abdominal pain that radiates through the back, often coupled with nausea and vomiting. It may or may not also include internal bleeding, high or low blood pressure, elevated heart and respiratory rates, or abdominal tenderness. Though a doctor can run several different laboratory tests, it is often diagnosed using a CT scan. Additionally, complications sometimes occur in conjunction with the disorder, including these medical conditions: • Shock
• Hypocalcemia (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 drug. Given concerns over the potential problems associated with the current formula, the FDA will likely require a longer-term study of any newly developed drug. If Byetta 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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