AstraZeneca has launched Bydureon as a pre-filled pen. The company will now discontinue the drug in its vial and syringe form to avoid confusion.
What is Bydureon?
Bydureon is the trade name of exenatide. It is a once-weekly injectable drug for people with type 2 diabetes. The new pre-filled pen formulation will simplify the injection process by removing the need to transfer the medicine between the vial and syringe. Dosage and formulation remains the same.
Bydureon is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a class of drugs that work by stimulating the body’s natural insulin production. GLP-1 receptor agonists stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin, inhibit the release of glucagon, and slow the rate at which glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream.
In order to avoid confusion over the existence of two similar products, AstraZeneca will be phasing out the vial and syringe form of Bydureon on January 31st 2016.
Anyone with diabetes taking a once-weekly injection of Bydureon should speak to a member of their healthcare team about swapping to the new pen before the vial and syringe version is phased out.
Once you have received the pre-filled Bydureon pe, be sure read the “user instructions” in the pack before using the device.
Note: The title of this article refers to the pre-filled Bydureon pen as an “insulin pen.” Bydureon is not insulin; it’s a GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We apologise for the unfortunate typo.
