"Leaping lizards! Cure for diabetes is spot on"
 

Leaping lizards! Cure for diabetes is spot on

August 25 2003 at 06:51PM

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Paris - A hormone found in the saliva of the Gila monster, the only poisonous lizard in the United States, is showing promising results in the treatment of type-two diabetes, according to a report issued on Monday at the congress of the International Diabetes Federation.

According to Amylin Pharmaceutical and Eli Lily, which presented the report, the hormone achieved a "statistically significant" reduction in glucose levels and body weight among sufferers of type two diabetes, which is often associated with obesity.

In another argument for protecting bio-diversity, the squat Gila monster, an endangered species that lives in the desert of Mexico and the south-western United States, produces a hormone called exendin-4 that stimulates the body to produce insulin in response to elevated sugar levels and supresses appetite.

Although the potent nerve toxin is usually not fatal for humans, the lizard acquired a sinister reputation thanks to the classic 1950s science-fiction horror movie, The Giant Gila Monster.

The synthetically produced version of the hormone, which is known as exenatide, succeeded in reducing blood sugar to near recommended levels in 44 percent of patients who completed 24 weeks of treatment, the study said. This was consistent with results presented in June at the scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans.

The report in Paris said the main side-effect of the treatment, which is administered by injection twice a day, was moderate nausea.

The study said about 194 million people in the world suffer from type two diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough insulin or does not respond properly to insulin. Left untreated, the disease can lead to life-threatening complications. - Sapa-AFP