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Vanguardia, of Clinton, Md., dropped 15 pounds in less than
two months.
"I'm not trying to do anything," she said. Vanguardia
attributes her weight loss to Byetta. "I think it has
really deadened my appetite."
Byetta is based on a hormone found in the
saliva of the gila monster-- a menacing lizard.
"This drug is very exciting because it's addressing treating
diabetes in a way that we haven't been able to in the past,"
said Dr. Michelle Magee, director of the Medstar Diabetes
Institute.
Doctors said Byetta helps the body make insulin
and is used with other medications to control blood sugar.
"It actually promotes that feeling of fullness after
you eat and regulates how much you are eating, which is one
of the problems underlying type-2 diabetes," Magee said.
The weight loss triggered by Byetta is a bonus for diabetics,
because losing weight can help reduce the risk of complications
associated with Type-2 diabetes, doctors said.
Now, some doctors are wondering if Byetta
might help also with obesity.
Dr. Arthur Frank, with the George Washington University Weight
Management Program, is considering Byetta for patients who
don't have diabetes.
But Frank said he worries about the questions
that will arise.
"How do we go about using it in non-diabetics? Can we
justify using it in non-diabetics? And we're playing with
that. Ideally I'd like to be patient and wait for more data
to be published," he said.
Currently Byetta can be given only by injection.
Byetta is available only with a prescription. Medical experts
also said it is expensive. However, insurance usually covers
the cost when it's prescribed for people with type-2 diabetes,
not those simply trying to lose weight.
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