CIBC Conference: Highlights From the Diabetes and Obesity Panel
Panel participants included Dr. Jay Skyler (University of Miami), Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer (Columbia University), and Dr. Stephen Richardson (NYU).
The panelists had mixed views of inhaled insulin. Dr. Skyler liked the inhaled route and indicated that Exubera's slow uptake could be partly due to poor promotion. Dr. Pi-Sunyer was less enthusiastic, citing complications such as different dosages vs injectables and cumbersome delivery methods.
Dr. Pi-Sunyer believed that lorcaserin was relatively unlikely to cause CV side effects based on the drug's specificity for the 5HT-2c receptor and somewhat narrow therapeutic window, defined by activity at the 5HT-2a receptor. Furthermore, he was unconcerned about pro-seizure potential.
The panel agreed that Byetta had an attractive profile for use in early diabetes management. All felt that the drug's weight loss effects more than compensated for its injection schedule. Importantly, the panelists agreed that needle size would not limit adoption of Byetta LAR.
