The type 2 diabetes drug Byetta has had its label changed, according to the Food and Drug Administration in America. The change will reflect a greater than previously thought risk of kidney problems as a result of taking the diabetes drug .
Byetta is also known as Exenatide, and is made by US company Amylin Pharmaceuticals . Byetta hit the news earlier this year with reports of kidney function problems amongst people with diabetes taking the drug. The FDA pointed out that some of these patients already had underlying kidney disease .
A minority of people with diabetes who take Byetta have suffered from haemorrhagic pancreatitis. Byetta is a large-scale diabetes drug, with seven million prescriptions dispensed between April 2005 and September 2008.
The FDA reportedly stated: “Kidney malfunction can result in a build-up of waste products in the blood, leading to serious illness or life-threatening conditions.”

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