Trulicity and Byetta are both injectable diabetes medications used to manage high blood sugar levels in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes. Trulicity and Byetta are used with proper diet, exercise, and other oral medications in order to regulate blood glucose production and activity in the body.
Trulicity and Byetta are identified as GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonists. These are non-insulin diabetes medicines called incretin mimetics, which helps the pancreas produce more insulin after meals.
What is Trulicity?
Trulicity is an injectable diabetes medication used to regulate blood glucose levels in adults with Type 2 Diabetes. It comes in the form of a prefilled, single-dose 0.75 mg disposable pen that is injected once weekly.
The active ingredient in Trulicity is dulaglutide, which is similar to incretin, a natural hormone in the body that assists the pancreas in increasing insulin production and the liver in decreasing glucose production.
What is Byetta?
Byetta is a non-insulin diabetes medication prescribed to improve blood sugar levels in adults with Type 2 Diabetes. It is used in conjunction with other oral diabetes medications, such as metformin, to improve glycemic controls in the body. It comes in the form of a single 1.2 mL or 2.4 mL prefilled pen and is injected twice daily.
The active ingredient is exenatide, the first ever incretin mimetic drug approved for treating Type 2 Diabetes. Right after the intake, it increases the secretion of insulin from the pancreas and reduces the activity and absorption of glucose from the liver.
What is the Difference Between Trulicity and Byetta?
Trulicity and Byetta differ in formulation and release time.
While Trulicity and Byetta are both incretin mimetics, Trulicity contains dulaglutide and Byetta contains exenatide. Dulaglutide and Exenatide are different strands of GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Trulicity is an extended-release diabetes prescription medicine. It should be injected under the skin (subcutaneous) once weekly. Meanwhile, Byetta is an immediate-release form of exenatide, and it is injected twice daily within 60 minutes of the first and last main meals of the day.
Both Trulicity and Byetta are effective, non-insulin diabetes prescription medicines.
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