Bydureon is a longer-acting version of Byetta, the first GLP-1 drug, which was based on a chemical in Gila monster spit that is similar to GLP-1.

FORBES: Amylin-Lilly Study Backfires

Worst hit will be Amylin Pharmaceuticals, which developed Bydureon and its predecessor, the twice-a-day Byetta, from a compound found in Gila monster saliva.

FORBES: FDA Disaster For Diabetes Drug

But in the early 1990s endocrinologist John Eng at the VA Medical Center in the Bronx found a chemical in venomous Gila monster saliva that mimicked the effects of GLP-1.

FORBES: Drug Safety

The drug is a synthetic form of GLP-1 and was originally derived from the venomous saliva of the Gila monster.

FORBES: Magazine Article