Study: Byetta Used With Insulin Glargine Helps Control Glucose

Stockholm, SwedenA recent study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Stockholm showed that Byetta in combination with other drugs could lead to improvements for diabetes patients.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">The study found that the addition of exenatide, marketed as Byetta, twice daily to type-2 diabetics followed by optimization of insulin glargine improved their glycated hemoglobin levels at a greater level than a control group not receiving exenatide, according to TheHeart.org.

After 30 weeks of the study, the diabetics receiving exenatide had lower and more stable glucose levels than the control group. In addition, those receiving exenatide experienced modest weight loss while the control group gained weight on average.

Lead investigator Dr. Richard Bergenstal of the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota said, "While there have been several studies [that have shown that] adding a [glucagonlike peptide-1] GLP-1 agonist to basal insulin [made sense]. . . this is really the first reported adequately powered, blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial looking at exenatide twice a day and optimized insulin glargine therapy."

The most common Byetta side effect is nausea.