Severe hypoglycemia is among the frequent complications of people with diabetes, and is one of the greatest limitations to achieve good glycemic control. Aware of this, Lilly Spain presents Baqsimi, the first and only nasal glucagon that offers greater ease of use in case of an emergency situation.
And it is that severe hypoglycemia can cause nausea, tremors or palpitations and require the assistance of a third party, since the patient is not on his own to resolve this episode. To facilitate acting in these situations, nasal glucagon It comes in a portable sprayer, ready to use.without the need for reconstitution or purging and contains a single dose.
It is a treatment indicated for the severe hypoglycemia in people with diabetes from 4 years and represents the first therapeutic innovation of the last 20 years for this serious situation, where acting as quickly as possible is crucial. In this sense, this novel treatment achieves an effective and simple administration, since it is passively absorbed through the nasal mucosa. In Spain, it is financed for children under 18 years of age, and available for free sale for all other ages.
Glucagon Nasal, from Lilly, is indicated for severe hypoglycemia in adults, adolescents, and children over four years of age.
as it points Dr. Javier Escalada San Martinpresident of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition () and director of the Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, “this new formulation of nasal glucagon facilitates its administration since the patient does not need to collaborate. Faced with an episode of this type, he may be unconscious, and for his part, what the caregiver should do is simple, he does not need to have been trained and should only place the device at the nasal entrance and press”.
During Baqsimi’s presentation, this expert presented the main conclusions of the CRASH cross-sectional study (Conversations and Reactions Around SevereHypoglycemia) that address the lack of information and knowledge about the experience of patients regarding episodes of severe hypoglycemia and where it is observed that the administration of injectable glucagon is rare, since only 11% obtained a glucagon kit after their most recent episode.
For her part, the Dr. Miriam Rubio de Santosmedical manager of Diabetes in highlighted the progress that this treatment represents for people with diabetes and their families. “We hope that nasal glucagon can help improve the quality of life of many children who, in some cases, are limiting their activities for fear of severe hypoglycemia, which we believe may contribute to the normalization of childhood diabetes.” Dr. Miriam Rubio also pointed out that “this nasal treatment offers a efficacy similar to that of injectable glucagonand also adds ease of use and portability that can help many people with diabetes overcome one of the main limitations for achieve adequate glycemic control”.
Regarding usability, a recent study compared the percentage of successful administration and the time required for the administration of nasal glucagon versus injectable glucagon during an episode of severe hypoglycemia simulated with mannequins. This study has shown that it allows a successful administration of glucagon in 90% of usersboth formed and unformed, with a median administration time of 48 secondswhile injectable glucagon was only successfully administered by 15.6% of the people trained, with a mean time of 1.22 minutes.
Also involved in the presentation Ana Gomez Pereanurse educator in diabetes at the Regional University Hospital of Malaga, who explained the training and information work carried out by diabetes educators with patients and their families to achieve good control and management of the disease; and the Dr. Francisco Javier Ortega Rios, Primary Care doctor Campos-Lampreana Health Center (Zamora), who described the situation in which he finds families when he responds to emergency calls for severe hypoglycemia.
Nasal Glucagon is the first glucagon formulation in dry powder, stable at room temperature, which is administered intranasally through a specially designed device that allows the duration of the drug for 2 years from its production. “Achieving this novel formulation has led more than ten years of research due to the unstable nature of glucagon”, highlights the medical manager for diabetes at Lilly Spain.
To ensure drug preservation, nasal glucagon comes in an innovative, protective and durable container, which has been designed to protect the device and the powder formulation from any accidental damage. Additionally, the tube contains a desiccant to prevent moisture that would cause the active glucagon peptide to degrade.