BEIJING, Jun 26 (Xihuanet)-- Byetta, a diabetes drug formed of a hormone minicking a compound in the Gila monster's spit helped people with type 2 diabetes lose weight, according to a three-year study presented in U.S. Monday.
People with type 2 diabetes can neither produce enough insulin nor properly use it. The hormone called exendin-4 found in the lizard's saliva works to boost the production of insulin in order to regulate blood-sugar levels.
The study of 217 patients with type 2 diabetes found when the patients get an adequate good blood-sugar control over the three years period on the drug, they also get weight loss averaging 11 pounds.
"Overweight and weight gain is an almost universal problem for people with diabetes," lead researcher Dr. John Buse, chief of endocrinology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, said in a statement.
The study also found Byetta might improve the body's own insulin production.
The study was funded by two drug companies -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals (AMLN) and Eli Lilly (LLY)-- that collaborate on the development and commercialization of exenatide.
