Byetta
Byetta – there are two important reports about Byetta, the generic name is exenatide, an injectable drug used in treatment of diabetes. On one side the Food & Drug Administration is giving sterner warnings about the risks of exensatide, that in rare cases, it can cause inflammation of the pancreas, and this has occasionally been fatal. At the same time, a study presented at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association reported that patients treated with exenatide actually had longer survival than patients using other anti-diabetic drugs. The results of this study will need more examination, since there doesn’t seem to be a cause and effect relationship, and sometimes this type of thing shows up in a study result simply by chance. It will take additional examination, both of the results of this study, and probably additional large studies, before any conclusions can be drawn. In view of the known risks of pancreatitis, patients shouldn’t be switched from other drugs to exenatide unless there’s a compelling reason to do so.