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Once a Week

J

Jay3109

Well-Known Member
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Ok we've probably all read the latest news reports on the promising research regarding once a week shots for us Type 2's currently on a 2 a day regime. Anyone got any more details?
 
Hi Jay & Sue,
The once-a-week injection that the article refers to is the new longer lasting version of exenatide (Byetta), not insulin. This is being developed by a combination of Amylin, Eli Lilly and Alkermes and has been under phase 3 clinical trials for well over a year now. In fact it was supposed to be available this spring but they encountered a few problems that they now seem to have overcome. The latest news from the manufacturers is that they plan to seek approval to launch this in the US in spring 2009.

It is likely to be at least 6 months later before it will be available in the UK, and it is likely to be just as difficult to get hold of as Byetta currently is.
 
Thanks Dennis - although I have read about Byetta on here I frankly know very little about it and it is certainly not something that has ever been mentioned by my DN or GP. I understand that some people have bad side effects initially...but that's for another topic!! :D
 
If this new medication is a expensive as Byetta, we'll not get it. They won't let us have strips and for most people they get put onto insulin and Byetta is never mentioned although as far as my research goes, Byetta may be more appropriate, especially for T2s with weight issues.
 
Also the downside would be, if you only inject it once a week, you can only adjust the dose once a week. If the dose is too high, or you exercise more on certain days, or if you lose weight, you're stuck with that dose and the hypos. Maybe this isn't a problem with Byetta but I suspect it would be because from what I read it increases production of/sensitivity to insulin. My viewpoint is biased by being type 1 on small insulin doses, but I'd be cautious unless you're the lucky one whose medication never needs adjusting, and you've already taken Byetta for some time without side-effects.
 
LittleSue said:
Also the downside would be, if you only inject it once a week, you can only adjust the dose once a week. If the dose is too high, or you exercise more on certain days, or if you lose weight, you're stuck with that dose and the hypos. Maybe this isn't a problem with Byetta but I suspect it would be because from what I read it increases production of/sensitivity to insulin. My viewpoint is biased by being type 1 on small insulin doses, but I'd be cautious unless you're the lucky one whose medication never needs adjusting, and you've already taken Byetta for some time without side-effects.
Click to expand...
Hi Littlesue,
Byetta is not like insulin in that it should never need to be adjusted. What byetta does is to make your pancreas produce the appropriate amount of insulin to deal with the amount of sugar in your blood. In other words to act just like the pancreas of a non-diabetic person! With insulin you need to know the carb content of what you are eating in order to inject the appropriate amount of insulin.
With byetta your pancreas produces the appropriate amount for you, so no dose adjustment.
 
Dennis
Fair enough, no problem then. What I read didn't make this clear, must've been over-simplified. Thanks for the clarification.
Sue
 
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