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THE AGE (Melbourne, Australia) 13 September 07 Lizard leads to diabetes breakthrough (Kate Benson)
A binge-eating lizard that can spend up to four months digesting its food has sparked the invention of a ground-breaking diabetes drug.
The venomous Gila monster, a 60-centimetre lizard from Mexico and the US, eats about half its body weight only three or four times a year and has the ability to slow its digestion so it can survive for months on one meal.
Scientists found that Gila monsters have a hormone called exendin-4 in their salivary glands, which increases the production of insulin when blood sugar levels rise after a huge meal and slows the emptying of its stomach so its pancreas and liver do not become overloaded with the sudden intake of food.
They found that exendin-4 was similar to a hormone in the human digestive tract called GLP-1, only it lasts much longer.
The new drug, Byetta, is a synthetic replica of exendin-4 and will be used for type 2 diabetics who have not been able to control their illness using oral medications.
It has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration but is not listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
The drug was a breakthrough because it meant that people with type 2 could better control their weight, Kristen Hazelwood, an educator with Diabetes Australia, said yesterday.
"Most people with type 2 struggle with their weight because they must eat frequently, so we really applaud this drug. It has been so successful overseas and we've really been looking forward to it being available here," she said.
A diabetic who participated in the clinical trial, Noel Field, said the drug had become his last option after eight years battling to keep his illness and weight under control.
"It curbed my appetite and helped me lose weight. I feel like I have more energy and generally have a better outlook on life," he said.
The discovery won't have much effect on the Gila monster, however, which is facing extinction from illegal hunting and loss of habitat.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/lizard-leads-to-diabetes-breakthrough/2007/09/12/1189276809737.html?s_cid=rss_news

Parts of this make steam come out of my ear. The company should be commended for the great biomedical product.

However they should be drug over hot coals for deliberately skewing the science. The component is from the VENOM not the SALIVA. They are deliberately saying saliva as a public relations excercise and out of a naivety that this will make things easier with the FDA. The fact that it is from the venom does not change its useful properties. So there is no need to play cute with the facts. The normal body form does regulate in

>>Scientists found that Gila monsters have a hormone called exendin-4 in their salivary glands, which increases the production of insulin when blood sugar levels rise after a huge meal and slows the emptying of its stomach so its pancreas and liver do not become overloaded with the sudden intake of food

This statment displays a fundamental misundestanding of basic physiology. There is a normal form released by the pancreas and small intestine that may indeed influence blood sugar. However, the venom form does not enter the bloodstream, when ingested along with the prey it is broken down like any other protein.

This is a major pet peeve of mine.

Cheers
B
-----
Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry
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Department of Biochemistry,
Bio21 Institute,
University of Melbourne
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http://www.venomdoc.com

"is facing extinction from illegal hunting and loss of habitat."

ANYONE who knows anything about Heloderma population dynamics in Az will tell you that the Gila is NOT facing "extinction", and isn't even particularly rare....I really hate sensational misrepresentations like this!

Just because people don't see them often doesn't mean they aren't there...I REALLY wish people would do a little research before they make fools of themselves by publishing suck poppycock!!!

Yes, loss of habitat is the biggest threat to wild populations of Heloderma, but currently Heloderma seems to be adjusting well in many locations that are being encroached by human development...Whether this will continue to be the case is debatable, but Az has many strong and healthy populations of Heloderma and the species is NOT in imminent threat of being extirpated...As far as "illegal collection" is concerned, it does happen but the habits of this species preclude collection on a large enough scale as to threaten the survival of the species...

-AzAtrox