Byetta (Amylin and Eli Lilly) for Type 2 Diabetes also has rapid and powerful anti-inflammatory action

Byetta (exenatide), a drug from Amylin and Eli Lilly, which is commonly prescribed to help patients with Type 2 Diabetes, also has a powerful and rapid anti-inflammatory effect according to a new study. This rapid, anti-inflammatory effect may lead to the inhibition of Atherosclerosis, the major cause of Heart Attacks, Strokes and Gangrene in Diabetics. The study involved 24 obese Type 2 Diabetics who were already on insulin to control their glucose levels, and was based on previous observations that Byetta had an anti-inflammatory effect, reducing plasma C-reactive protein levels, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. The new work shows that in addition to the anti-inflammatory effect, participants also exhibited a drop in the measurement of average blood sugar levels over three months, called hemoglobin A1C, from 8.6 percent to 7.4 percent. According to co-author Ajay Chaudhuri, associate professor of medicine at the University of Buffalo, this anti-inflammatory effect occurred independently of weight loss over the 12-week study period. Even more importantly, a short-lived anti-inflammatory effect was observed within two hours following a single injection of 5 micrograms of the drug. The team plan to study how Byetta might be used in acute inflammatory settings in the intensive care unit or following Heart Attacks and Strokes, where a rapid anti-inflammatory effect is required and such drugs may be of potential use. See: "Exenatide Exerts a Potent Antiinflammatory Effect" by Ajay Chaudhuri et al. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, October 19, 2011 jc.2011-1508 doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-1508.