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 The condition, called hypoglycemia, can cause acute cognitive
impairment. A mild or moderate fall in sugar levels, when left
untreated, can result in cardiovascular disease, seizure, coma, and
even death.
Gvoke, Xeris' glucagon pen is an pre-filled device with liquid
stable form of glucagon. It won approval for use in diabetes
patients, aged 2 years and above.
The company said it intends to price both pre-filled syringe and
autoinjector versions of Gvoke at parity to current glucagon
products.
Eli Lilly and Co's non-injectable glucagon therapy Baqsimi, approved
in July has a list price of $280.80 for a one-pack and $561.60 for a
two-pack.
Xeris plans on making the pre-filled syringe available in 4-6 weeks
and the autoinjector in 2020.
Long-term use of insulin can sometimes lead to side effects,
including hypoglycemia. Severe hypoglycemia typically occurs in
diabetics on insulin treatment.
There are 5.6 million type 1 and type 2 diabetics who are taking
insulin and anyone on insulin should have glucagon handy, Chief
Executive Officer Paul Edick said.
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"Just about everyone who is a diabetic is going to have frequent low
blood sugar, most of them once or twice a year are going to have a
severe episode that needs rescue."
Glucagon is a hormone produced by the pancreas that is responsible
for raising the concentration of glucose and fatty acids in the
bloodstream.
Injectable form of glucagon, standard of care for treating
hypoglycemia, has been approved for use in the United States for
several decades.
(Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu, Manojna Maddipatla and Saumya
Sibi Joseph in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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