Last week the public learned of 6 more reported cases of pancreatitis and 2 deaths possibly connected to use of the type 2 diabetes drug Byetta. The first reports of a possible connection came in October of 2007. Now Amylin and Eli Lilly, makers of the drug, have announced the deaths of 4 more people who had been taking Byetta. Tuesday night, Amylin attempted to reassure patients and physicians of the drugs safety. Our expert, Dr. Bill Quick, believes they failed. Read more here: A Failure of Vigilance.
It is unclear whether or not these deaths were primarily related the use of Byetta. Lilly's medical director, James Malone, reported that, "All four patients had complicated medical conditions in addition to type 2 diabetes." These conditions ranged from leukemia to gallstones.
Eli Lilly and Amylin continue to look into the association between pancreatitis and Byetta. As of now, no causual relationship has been proven.
For the full story click here.
For more insights from our experts on this continuing story see:
A Byetta Pancreatitis Perspective by David Mendosa
Living Longer with Byetta by David Mendosa
and
FDA Warns of Possible Link Of Byetta and Pancreatitis by Dr. Bill Quick
Click here for a complete Byetta drug informationn guide.
- Font size
- Email This
- Bookmark
- Was this helpful? Yes
- Save
- RSS
- Report Abuse
