Any of you who have read the latest issue of DUK's Balance magazine may have seen an article implying that treatment with Byetta carries an increased risk of pancreatitis.
THERE IS NO TRUTH IN THIS WHATSOEVER.
This idea originated in the US when a Lehman Bros employee (with no medical or scientific qualifications) who was researching various pharmaceutical companies track records found that 30 patients on Byetta had died from pancreatitis. It was reported to the US Food & Drug Administration who, in a knee-jerk reaction, immediately published a public health warning and insisted that the manufacturers add a warning to their product literature.
The real facts are that the incidence of deaths from pancreatitis is 17 per 100,000 population.
Therefore in a 700,000 population there should be 7x17 = 119 deaths.
Amongst the 700,000 Byetta users in the US there were 30 deaths - a quarter of the expected figure.
Further analysis of the 30 deaths has shown that 27 of them had one or more risk factors that are commonly associated with pancreatitis (alcohol abuse, gallstones).
Although not a claim made by the manufacturers, the above figures seem to indicate that patients who take Byetta are actually at far lower risk of pancreatitis than those who are not fortunate enough to be on Byetta.
Just goes to show - believe nothing that you hear, and very little of what you see, particularly if you see it in a DUK publication!
THERE IS NO TRUTH IN THIS WHATSOEVER.
This idea originated in the US when a Lehman Bros employee (with no medical or scientific qualifications) who was researching various pharmaceutical companies track records found that 30 patients on Byetta had died from pancreatitis. It was reported to the US Food & Drug Administration who, in a knee-jerk reaction, immediately published a public health warning and insisted that the manufacturers add a warning to their product literature.
The real facts are that the incidence of deaths from pancreatitis is 17 per 100,000 population.
Therefore in a 700,000 population there should be 7x17 = 119 deaths.
Amongst the 700,000 Byetta users in the US there were 30 deaths - a quarter of the expected figure.
Further analysis of the 30 deaths has shown that 27 of them had one or more risk factors that are commonly associated with pancreatitis (alcohol abuse, gallstones).
Although not a claim made by the manufacturers, the above figures seem to indicate that patients who take Byetta are actually at far lower risk of pancreatitis than those who are not fortunate enough to be on Byetta.
Just goes to show - believe nothing that you hear, and very little of what you see, particularly if you see it in a DUK publication!
