Until yesterday, the treatment of severe hypoglycemia was a glucagon injection that involves a clunky and complicated system. Today, with FDA approving the glucagon nasal powder Baqsimi from Eli Lilly (LLY), patients with severe hypoglycemia can breathe a little easier.

Severe hypoglycemia refers to a condition where blood sugar levels fall below the normal range where the patient becomes confused or unconscious or suffers from other symptoms that require assistance from another person to treat. People with diabetes who are using insulin treatment are prone to severe hypoglycemia.

While insulin lowers blood sugar levels by moving glucose from the bloodstream into the cells, Baqsimi increases blood sugar levels in the body by stimulating the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream.

Injectable glucagon has been approved for use in the U.S. for several decades, and the user has to first dissolve the glucagon powder in a liquid before it can be administered, a process which is complicated. In sharp contrast, the newly approved Baqsimi, which is a powder administered into the nose, via an intranasal spray, is easy to use. Baqsimi will come in a single-use dispenser.

Commenting on the approval, Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said, "This new way to administer glucagon may simplify the process, which can be critical during an episode, especially since the patient may have lost consciousness or maybe having a seizure. In those situations, we want the process to treat the suffering person to be as simple as possible."

Patients with pheochromocytoma, a rare tumor of adrenal gland tissue, or patients who have insulinoma, a tumor of the pancreas, are advised not to use Baqsimi for hypoglycemia.

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