Diabetics helped by lizard spit.

[SamanthaNY]

MONDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Overweight people with diabetes may not find the Gila monster quite so monstrous anymore, thanks to a new weight-loss drug that mimics a compound in the creature's spit.

The drug -- a synthetic form of a hormone called exendin-4 found in the lizard's saliva -- helped people with type 2 diabetes shed pounds, a three-year study found.

The Gila monster is a venomous lizard that lives in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

This study of 217 patients found that three years of treatment with the drug exenatide (brand name Byetta) resulted in sustained, progressive weight loss averaging 11 pounds. Many of the patients also showed sustained reductions in blood sugar levels and in blood biomarkers that indicate liver injury.

...

Exenatide was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2005 for treatment of type 2 diabetes patients who are unable to get their blood sugar under control with one or both of two other drugs, metformin and sulfonylurea.

*more* (http://health.ivillage.com/di/dinews/0,,wbnews_brvfb81l,00.html?dst=rss%7Cwb)

[ExpandingHorizons]

Hmmm, interesting. I hope there's no serious side effects from that drug for those people who take it.

[Zandoz]

I want me some of that! Also kinda fits in with appreciation of Dr Phlox and his osmotic eel...LOL

[Michelle]

This is the drug Byetta and has been available for a couple of years now. I was on it, but it would make me nauseous and that side effect never went away. In fact, I tried twice and failed both times. I believe they just came out with a form that doesn't have to be refridgerated which would make administration of the drug much easier, because it has to be injected 30 minutes or less before eating. Be aware - Byetta has to be injected.

[Miss Vickie]

Yeah it's a great drug for controlling blood sugars but the nausea side effect is wicked for some folks. I've heard it suggested that you take peanut butter with it that's supposed to help, but it didn't seem to make a lot of difference. It's too bad that some folks have trouble with it because it seems like a pretty marvelous drug.

And even better? When someday they come up with a nasal spray form of it or some other way to get it into you besides the injection.

[SocialbFly]

i take it, there are ways around the nausea, the docs office told me to just eat right away if it makes me sick...but it only rarely does...

it doesnt seem to affect my glucose levels as much as it affects my long term sugar making hormone glucagon, which causes the release of glucose...

my aic is 5.9 off drugs and 5.4 on them (supposed to be 6 or less)...both in normal although the higher limits without drugs but obviously better on it...but it is bloody expensive and i am not fond of injecting it...

i havent lost a pound on it...damnit...

the other thing i found interesting, is they have a description of the type of eating i do, which is of course, bad bad bad....i dont eat for long periods of time then have big meals and devour everything in site...not a good or smart move, the more often i eat, the lower my blood sugar is...go figure...