Reptile revelation

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Gila monsters are giving new hope to diabetes patients.

A medication derived from enzymes found in the lizards' saliva, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, could mean those with the chronic condition can lead healthier lives.

The drug, called Byetta, is just one of several advances for those with diabetes.

Roughly 18.2 million people in the United States suffer from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 1.3 million new cases are diagnosed annually in people ages 20 and older. It's a chronic condition in which the body struggles to break down sugar in the bloodstream because of an inability or problem with producing insulin.

Dr. Michelle Magee, director of the Medstar Diabetes Institute with the Washington Hospital Center in the District, says Byetta is a breed apart from existing medications.

"It makes you feel like you're full. It depresses appetite and slows down how the stomach empties," Dr. Magee says.

Existing medications often result in weight gain, so the switch is significant for those with type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes means the patient has stopped making insulin, often during his or her childhood years. Type 2 typically occurs later in life, although with childhood obesity levels rising, it can occur earlier. Patients with type 2 diabetes can make insulin, but their bodies use it improperly or sometimes not at all. The condition typically is found in adults older than 50, says Howard Steinberg, CEO of DLife, a consumer resource for people with diabetes.

Mr. Steinberg, who learned he had diabetes at age 10 and has been aggressively fighting the condition for the past 37 years, says the current medical marketplace offers more hope for fellow patients than ever before.

"It's a very liberating time," Mr. Steinberg says.