Nutrition Frenzy

From Foxnews:A commonly used diabetes drug that contains the “spit” of a poisonous lizard called the Gila monster may also help with weight loss

The drug is created synthetically and marketed under the name Byetta and is used by diabetics to help control their blood sugar, but one doctor says the drug may also help users shed pounds.

Dr. Antonia Verso from Banner Health in Phoenix said Byetta helped her patient Ralph Bustamante lose nearly 40 pounds, while other diabetes drugs made him gain weight.

Byetta is not without its side effects, however. In August, federal regulators said they were working on a stronger warning label for the drug after it was linked to six cases of pancreatitis, two of which were fatal.

Verso is currently participating in a study to assess the drug’s weight loss effects.

The Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors and patients of diabetic drug, Byetta, which may cause acute pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that can be fatal.

The drug, approved in 2005, may be associated with 30 reports of acute pancreatitis, following use of type 2 diabetes drug. In the reports, 27 of the patients also had at least one other risk factor for developing the pancreatitis, including gall stones or alcohol use, according to the FDA. However, in six of the other cases, the pancreatitis worsened after a Byetta dosage was increased, the FDA said. The drug has been used by more than 700,000 patients since its introduction.

Byetta, a synthetic hormone taken from a lizard, which is similar to a human hormone, is an injection taken before morning and evening meals. The hormone is recommended for patients with type 2 diabetes, who cannot lower their blood-sugar and blood-glucose levels with other diabetes drugs. The hormone helps to boost the production of insulin to better regulate blood-sugar levels.

The drug company, Amylin, which co-markets the drug with Eli Lilly, has agreed to update the Byetta label to include possible risk of pancreatitis. The most common side effects currently reported include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion and upper abdominal discomfort. However, acute pancreatitis pain can be more severe.

The FDA is urging doctors and patients to be aware of some of the signs and symptoms of acute pancreatitis, which include persistent, severe abdominal pain that can travel to the back and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting.