It seems Eli Lilly and Amylin have a problem with Byetta
Most problems in medicine and business are bad. But this one is a sign of good things for the two companies: demand for Byetta is outstripping supply. In fact, the companies have asked doctors to not start new patients on the drug until they can get the supply problems ironed out, even going so far as to not give out vouchers and coupons for it. Byetta is one of the more interesting drugs in current diabetes development, and it's quite popular because of a welcome side-effect: it tends to cause weight loss in those that take it for an extended period of time. As obesity is one of the factors involved in causing diabetes, this is a double-edged blessing. (An oxymoron if there ever was one, eh?)
Byetta has the makings of a blockbuster, some analysts expect that sales could hit $350 million this year, and will undoubtedly grow next year as well. Despite these short-term supply problems and stock volatility, Amylin seems like a strong bet to me — better than Novartis, anyway.
Personally, I'm waiting for the two companies to try to get the drug approved for weight-loss. I suppose if they did, though, it might make insurers more reluctant to cover it — weight loss medications are largely considered lifestyle/cosmetic, and therefore not worth the money to cover.
[tags]Medicine, pharmacy, Amylin, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Byetta, economics, exenatide, diabetes[/tags]
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please keep me informed about byetta anychanges
Comment by herman shuemake sr — September 25, 2006 @ 6:15 pm
As a patient, my problems are caused (I think)by gastroparesis, which I think is a condition where your food is slow to pass into your intestines and thus into your blood sygar. My problem is that I feel bloated and have some mild nausea. At night, when I take the Humulog that matches my food intake and exenatide, my blood sugar goes very low, usually into the 40s. And, no matter how much glucose I ingest, it does nothing, because it it caught up in my stomach with the food I ate earlier. About 3 hours later, my blood sugar begins to rise slowly. This is helped by lying on my right side. Then, I have to stay up hours taking Humulog every 30 minutes to counter the glucose I took. This is not as much of a problem with the morning dose, as, I guess, there is not as much food in my stomach.
Comment by Jim — September 26, 2006 @ 9:08 am
Interesting problem, Jim. You could try a Glucagon emergency kit, but that's probably not an especially desirable tool…
You could try a longer-lasting form of insulin. Alternatively, you may find injesting sugar in liquid form more helpful — a soda or orange juice or something of that sort, if you haven't already…
Are you treating your gastroparesis?
Comment by RJS — September 26, 2006 @ 7:32 pm