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Once‐Weekly Exenatide: An Extended‐Duration Glucagon‐Like Peptide Agonist for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Author(s) -
Minze Molly G.,
Klein Mary S.,
Jernigan Michelle J.,
Wise Stephen L.,
Frugé Kristian
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1002/phar.1240
Subject(s) - exenatide , medicine , tolerability , hypoglycemia , insulin glargine , sitagliptin , type 2 diabetes mellitus , weight loss , dulaglutide , liraglutide , type 2 diabetes , diabetes mellitus , pharmacology , adverse effect , endocrinology , insulin , obesity
Type 2 diabetes affects over 25 million people in the United States. There are many treatment options for patients with type 2 diabetes, but current treatments must be administered on a daily basis. Once‐weekly exenatide, an extended‐duration glucagon‐like peptide‐1 ( GLP ‐1) agonist, provides an option for patients to take a drug weekly, with pharmacotherapeutic effects that are superior to twice‐daily exenatide and sitagliptin and comparable to insulin glargine. The DURATION trials provide evidence that once‐weekly exenatide reduces hemoglobin A 1c , and may result in weight loss. Once‐weekly exenatide is marketed as a 2‐mg injection administered subcutaneously once every 7 days. Adverse effects of once‐weekly exenatide include gastrointestinal effects, hypoglycemia, injection‐site reactions, pancreatitis, and antibody development. Patients with a self history or family history of thyroid tumors should avoid using once‐weekly exenatide. Delayed gastric absorption with orally administered drugs is possible, and monitoring should occur to avoid loss in therapeutic effect. Once‐weekly exenatide is a new extended‐duration agent with efficacy and tolerability profiles comparative to older therapies. Appropriate patients for once‐weekly exenatide would be those who are concerned about weight gain, hypoglycemia, or those who do not wish to administer injections daily.