Benefits of BYETTA

For many people, trying to maintain the right blood sugar (glucose) levels day after day can be frustrating. BYETTA may help you get improved control of your type 2 diabetes by helping your body produce the right amount of insulin at the right time.

What BYETTA offers you:

• Improved blood sugar levels as soon as day one
• A chance to lose some weight (BYETTA is not a weight-loss product)
• Premeasured doses, easy-to-use pen

Improved blood sugar levels as soon as day one

Once you start BYETTA, your blood sugar levels can improve as soon as day one, and day after day. As you continue to take BYETTA, you should see overall improvements in your A1C (a 3-month average of your blood sugar levels). And 3-year studies show that the effects of BYETTA continue over time.

In clinical studies over 30 weeks, nearly 4 times as many people taking the 10-microgram (mcg) dose of BYETTA with certain diabetes pills reached their blood sugar targets compared to those not on BYETTA. When BYETTA was taken alone over 24 weeks, significantly more people reached their blood sugar targets with the 10-mcg dose compared to those not on BYETTA.

A chance to lose some weight

Some medicines for type 2 diabetes, such as sulfonylureas and insulin, can cause weight gain, while other drugs, such as metformin, do not affect weight. Although not a weight-loss product, BYETTA might just help you lose some weight. BYETTA may reduce your appetite and the amount of food you eat.

• On average, patients who used BYETTA with certain diabetes pills lost 4 pounds over 30 weeks and patients taking BYETTA alone lost 6 pounds over 24 weeks with the 10-mcg dose.

Premeasured doses, easy-to-use pen

It’s easy to fit BYETTA into your lifestyle. BYETTA comes in a prefilled injection pen which uses a very small needle. Since the pen contains premeasured doses, you don’t have to measure your dose or adjust it based on the size of your meal or how physically active you are.

With BYETTA, you don’t have to do extra blood sugar monitoring. However, self-monitoring of blood sugar is important and will help you and your healthcare provider determine how well your diabetes is controlled.

Indication

BYETTA is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar (glucose) control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, when used with a diet and exercise program.

BYETTA is not insulin and should not be taken instead of insulin. BYETTA can be used with Lantus^® (insulin glargine), which is a long-acting insulin, but should not be taken with short- and/or rapid-acting insulin. BYETTA is not for people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis.

Important Safety Information for BYETTA^® (exenatide) injection

• Serious side effects can happen in people who take BYETTA, including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) which may be severe and lead to death. Before taking BYETTA, tell your healthcare provider if you have had pancreatitis, stones in your gallbladder (gallstones), a history of alcoholism, or high blood triglyceride levels. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that is severe, and will not go away. The pain may happen with or without vomiting and may be felt going from your abdomen through to your back.
• Your risk for getting low blood sugar is higher if you take BYETTA with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea or insulin. The dose of your sulfonylurea or insulin medicine may need to be lowered while you use BYETTA.
• BYETTA should not be used in people who have severe kidney problems and should be used with caution in people who have had a kidney transplant. BYETTA may cause new or worse problems with kidney function, including kidney failure.
• Before you use BYETTA, tell your healthcare provider if you have severe problems with your stomach, such as delayed emptying of your stomach (gastroparesis) or problems with digesting food.
• Do not use BYETTA if you have had an allergic reaction to exenatide or any of the other ingredients in BYETTA. Severe allergic reactions can happen with BYETTA. Stop taking BYETTA and get medical help right away.
• Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BYETTA will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your healthcare provider first if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
• The most common side effects with BYETTA include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, feeling jittery, dizziness, headache, acid stomach, constipation, and weakness. Nausea most commonly happens when first starting BYETTA, but may become less over time.

These are not all the side effects with BYETTA. Talk to your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Please see the BYETTA Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.