'Lizard venom' new diabetes drug in UAE

A drug developed from a lizard’s venom that has given hope to diabetics across the world, is now available in the UAE.

Byetta (Exenatide), the drug which is an artificial version of Gila monster’s venom, helps manage blood sugar levels in diabetics. Gila monster is a lizard specie native to the US.

The drug has been available in the US since 2005 and more than 700,000 diabetics across 23 countries use this drug.

Byetta, which is co-developed by Eli Lilly and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, helps in weight loss, which is a major benefit for Type 2 diabetes patients, who are often overweight. It is administered in the form of an injection and is useful for Type 2 diabetics who failed on oral diabetes medication.

“Unlike most medications which cause weight gain, this drug mostly causes weight loss,” said Dr Zain Gulzar, endocrinologist at Al Zahra hospital. “Secondly, and most importantly, it is a glucose dependent drug, which means if a patient’s blood sugar is normal the drug won’t make the sugar level drop, preventing hypoglycemia - a common problem with medication like insulin.”

He also added that the drug gives the brain signal of being full which reduces the patient’s appetite. “Most diabetic medicines increase a patient’s appetite, this actually controls it,” said Gulzar.

The drug mimics a blood sugar-regulating hormone in the body. “Our aim is to make available the best in class treatments for patients in the UAE,” says Dr Essa Al Mansoori, Director of the Drug Control Department in the Ministry of Health. “We know that diabetes is one of the major diseases threatening our community.”

“Byetta is a new class of treatment for diabetes that will help answer patients’ needs. We are one of the first countries in the Middle East to make Byetta available,” explains Dr El Mansoori

How Byetta was discovered in a monster

Gila Monster, the only poisonous lizard known to the world is native to the desert southwest of the US and Mexico. The Gila Monster or Beaded Lizard, is origin of the discovery of Exenatide. A component of the Gila monster’s venom has proven remarkably effective in the control of Type 2 diabetes in humans. Gila Monster is a protected species in the US. Eli Lilly and Amylin Pharmaceuticals were able to develop a synthetic version for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

How it works

Byetta is the first in a new class of treatment called incretin mimetics.

Studies have shown that incretion hormone is lessened or eliminated in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

By providing patients with a compound that function like the harmone incretion, blood sugar (glucose) levels in the body can be regulated and insulin secretion is increased. Incretin is released by the gut into the bloodstream.

Exenatide and blood sugar

• It signals the pancreas to create additional insulin when glucose levels are too high.
• It regulates the liver so that it doesn't produce unneeded glucose.
• It helps slow the rate at which sugar enters the bloodstream.