The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Byetta as an add-on therapy to improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes who have not achieved adequate control on a thiazolidinedione, or TZD.

Byetta is already approved for treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes who are unsuccessful at controlling their blood sugar levels despite using the commonly prescribed oral medications or insulin. Byetta helps control blood glucose in four different ways. First, it signals your pancreas to make the right amount of insulin after you eat. It also stops your liver from making too much glucose when your body does not need it. It may reduce your appetite and the amount of food you eat. And it helps slow down how quickly food and glucose leave the stomach. It's no surprise that back in May, AMYLIN had to increase their production of Byetta, after realizing demand was outpacing the supply.

Byetta has given type 2 diabetics the reassurance they need to take their diabetes control to the next level. Taking your meds no longer has to come with the dubious consequence of a ravenous appetite. And with this new feather in the Byetta cap-the FDA says it does the trick to improve blood sugar control. The jury's out!