Fresh diabetes drug found to work

A new diabetes drug that sits in the same class as Byetta has been found to be effective in cutting blood sugar levels and lowering weight, following a year long study involving people with type 2 diabetes .
The drug, liraglutide, is based on a hormone called GLP-1 that stimulates insulin secretion. Related drugs called DPP-4 inhibitors are also concerned with the hormone, although in a slightly different way. DPP-4 inhibitors include Galvus and Januvia .
Byetta has been in the news lately for having a rare side effect called pancreatitis. It is not yet clear whether liraglutide will cause a similar response amongst an extreme minority of patients.
The study, conducted by the Baylor College of Medicine, compared liraglutide to Amaryl, another diabetic drug .