Incretin Mimetic
Exenatide, the only currently available incretin mimetic, is the synthetic
form of exendin-4, found in the saliva of the Gila monster. It has more
than 50% homology with native human GLP-1 and exhibits many of the
same biological effects, except that it has a much longer half-life (10
hours versus just a few minutes). Unlike native GLP-1, exenatide is
resistant to degradation by DPP-4. Exenatide was approved by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2005 as an injection for use
in combination with metformin and/or sulfonylureas.