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A new hope for type 2 diabetes sufferers
About 16-18 million American type 2 diabetes sufferers received good news
this Friday 29 April 2005.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the first in a new class of medications
for Type 2 diabetes. The name of the new drug is Byetta and it is known chemically
as exenatide.
Having diabetes in Type 2 form means that body either doesn't produce enough
insulin or doesn't use it correctly. As a consequence, it loses the power to turn blood
sugar into energy. When prescribed diet and exercise connote control the disease,
the diabetes sufferers can try certain oral medications to lower blood sugar. When
those drugs fail, the new Byetta offers patients one more chance to try before deciding
to injections of insulin.
Derived from Gila monster, Byetta improves blood sugar control by lowering both
postmeal and fasting glucose levels leading to better long-term control as measured
by hemoglobin A1C. The drug is formulated for self-administration as a fixed dose,
subcutaneous injection given prior to the morning and evening meals.
Byetta should not be used
- in patients with type 1 diabetes
- for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis
- in patients with end-stage renal disease or severe renal impairment
- in patients with severe gastrointestinal disease.
Byetta should be used with caution in patients receiving oral medications that require
rapid gastrointestinal absorption
The Food and Drug Administration encouraged Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Co,
the manufacturers of the drug, to provide additional studies to demonstrate whether Byetta
could eventually become a stand-alone treatment for Type 2 diabetes.
Byetta will be available in pharmacies by June 1 this year
NOTE: The Information on this site is provided for information only,
and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your own physician or other medical professional.
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