Eli Lily and Amylin Pharmaceuticals announce Byetta changes

Eli Lily and Amylin Pharmaceuticals have been granted approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to change the patient storage instructions on the Byetta (exenatide) injection.

The pens can now be kept at room temperature and not exceeding 77 degrees F (25 degrees C), which Lily and Amylin said would be more convenient for patients.

Refrigeration is therefore no longer necessary after first use and can be kept in a recommended temperature range from 36 degrees F to 77 degrees F. However, until first use, the Byetta injection pens must be kept refrigerated.

“My patients already find Byetta simple and easy to use,” said Deborah Hinnen, a diabetes nurse specialist and coordinator of diabetes education services at Mid America Diabetes Associates.

“The ability to store the Byetta Pen without the need for refrigeration after first use is an improved convenience that makes it even easier for people with type two diabetes to take advantage of the unique clinical benefits of Byetta.”

Exenatide is an incretin mimetic with glucoregulatory effects and is the first of a new class of treatments for type two diabetes.