Byetta is a drug marketed for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. While some diabetes drugs come in pill form, Byetta is a pre-filled pen which the patient injects one hour prior to the morning and evening meal. Unlike some other diabetic drugs, Byetta (exenatide) is made from a synthetic form of a hormone—exendin 4—which naturally occurs in the saliva of the Southwestern Gila monster and was discovered in 1992. The synthesized version of the hormone is nearly 50% identical to another hormone which occurs naturally in the human digestive tract—GLP-1. This GLP-1 hormone increases the insulin in the body, enabling it to balance excessively high levels of blood sugar. The body of a diabetic may lose the ability to produce the necessary levels of GLP-1, allowing blood sugar levels to rise to potentially dangerous levels.

Byetta, a drug approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes may carry significant risks for diseases such as thyroid cancer, pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Byetta, a synthesized version of a hormone found in the saliva of the Southwestern Gila lizard, is taken by the patient via an injection twice daily prior to breakfast and dinner. The active ingredient in Byetta is exenatide and is in a class of drugs known as incretin mimetcs. Exenatide imitates the actions of incretin which is normally produced by the intestines to suppress the release of glucose from the liver.