Eli Lilly and Amlin seek approval for extended Byetta use

Drugs firms Eli Lilly and Amlin have filed for an extended indication for Byetta with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Under the new labelling, Byetta would be prescribed as an add-on treatment for type-2 diabetes patients using thiazolidinediones (TZDs), who are not able to bring their blood sugar under control.

Byetta is an incretin mimetic drug, used to imitate the presence of natural glucose-lowering substances such as peptide-1 which are usually secreted in response to food intake. Such drugs can help stimulate insulin production and reduce the speed that nutrients are absorbed into the body.

Type-2 patients who take metformin, sulfonylurea or both can already supplement their treatment regime with Byetta, after the FDA approved the indication in April 2005.

Last week the New York Times reported that the drug was also gaining popularity as a weight loss aid.

The newspaper said that diabetics who used it were finding their weight levels drop substantially, and that some individuals with normal insulin levels were beginning to use the drug ? despite concerns that it has not been tested or approved for safety among non-diabetics.

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