It has been shown to decrease glucagon secretion, increase glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in the peripheral tissues, delay gastric emptying, and increase satiety.4 GLP-1 was first discovered in 1987 by Bernhard Kreymann and Stephen Robert Bloom, who were affiliated with the Royal Postgraduate Medical School Department of Medicine at Hammersmith Hospital in London, England.5 They established the insulinotropic actions of GLP-1 in humans and found that they were more effective than the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) in stimulating insulin and reducing peak plasma glucose concentrations.4,6 In 2005, the FDA approved the first subcutaneous GLP-1 receptor agonist, exenatide (Byetta
NICE and other guidelines makers, along with FDA and other regulators, we now are at greater risk from good doctors than old-style cowboys
However, these medications are available in combination with metformin or other antihyperglycemic agents, which may provide the advantage of decreased pill burden for patients with uncontrolled diabetes
Serious side effects appear to be rare in current data