# Baqsimi Nasal Glucagon Makes Hypoglycemia Rescue Simple



## Northerner (Jan 18, 2021)

I just came across this article, posted in September 2019. I'm not sure if it is available in the UK, I hadn't heard of it.


Who’s got your back? Who have you trained on your emergency Glucagon kit? When you – or the person with Type 1 diabetes in your life – has a severe hypo, who do you trust to act?

After I was taught the Glucagon kit process –  first to inject the liquid into the vial of powder, then to remove the syringe, swirl the vial, draw the liquid back into the syringe, and finally inject– I had to consider who to share this lesson with. The learning curve is not insignificant. Was my child old enough to brandish a needle? Was this family member too old, that one too scatterbrained? Who could be trusted to follow these precise steps in a moment of crisis?

Robert Oringer has weighed these sorts of questions extensively. Oringer, the Chairman of Locemia Solutions, had the burning desire for years to innovate glucagon. In 2010, he recruited co-founder and CEO, Claude Piche, to build and lead their small but mighty team to develop Baqsimi, Eli Lilly’s new nasal glucagon treatment that was recently approved by the FDA. Oringer has been fighting hypoglycemia for decades now: he first came to public notice as the creator of Dex4 glucose tabs. He thinks a lot about the emotional impact of hypoglycemia risk, and not just from the perspective of a businessman. He has two sons with Type 1 diabetes.

“The stars aligned for me to understand the screaming need for a better rescue solution … at some point I just said, somebody’s gotta do something here!”

Baqsimi was the solution. This new glucagon rescue is administered nasally: a single puff in the nose is enough to deliver a full dose, even to a completely unresponsive patient. Compared to the old Glucagon kits, Baqsimi nasal glucagon is equally effective and dramatically easier to use. Remove the cap, one puff, done. The kit you have stashed in your closet or in an emergency bag today is about to become obsolete.









						Baqsimi Will Make Your Glucagon Kit Obsolete
					

Compared to the old glucagon kits, Baqsimi nasal glucagon is equally effective and dramatically easier to use. Remove the cap, one puff, done.




					asweetlife.org


----------



## Drummer (Jan 18, 2021)

Brilliant.


----------



## trophywench (Jan 18, 2021)

Mine's in the fridge!  Only have to order a new one when the use by date is up usually - though I have needed it in the past.


----------



## nonethewiser (Jan 18, 2021)

Northerner said:


> I'm not sure if it is available in the UK, I hadn't heard of it.



Doesn't look like it Northie,https://awmsg.nhs.wales/medicines-appraisals-and-guidance/medicines-appraisals/glucagon-baqsimi/  says not marketed in UK unless things have changed since last August.


----------



## Inka (Jan 18, 2021)

Glucagon makes me sick - a really nasty reaction - so I no longer keep any. I wonder if a nasal version would have the same affect. I presume so.


----------



## trophywench (Jan 18, 2021)

Makes me chuck up too - but certainly cures my hypos, just messier when you're semi comatose at the time, so sorry Pete, suits me if I stay semi comatose a bit longer once I've reacted like that.  The floor is a lot more comfortable suddenly I found ......


----------



## ExpatTaff (Jun 10, 2021)

Hi all, I'm looking forward to UK availability too - the longstanding glucagon kits can be a challenge even for nearest and dearest, never mind acquaintances and complete strangers.  There is some really interesting data which reinforces the benefit to be gained: a US health survey showed that
40% of caregivers administered injectable glucagon but 60% didn't
11% of acquaintances administered injectable glucagon to the diabetic, 89% either failed or chose not to.

By contrast, nasal glucagon was administered in >90% of instances by both caregivers AND acquaintances.  When it can make that difference to the immediate outcome and your short- and long-term health, it appears to be a no-brainer...  

As above, despite the FDA approval (Jul 2019) and European Medicines Agency (Dec 2019), it does appear to be licensed in the UK but not yet available:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/medicines/glucagon/

(Scroll down past Novo Nordisk to the Baqsimi product.)  

Fingers crossed it arrives soon...


----------



## everydayupsanddowns (Jun 11, 2021)

I was in contact with a US blogger who was involved in nasal glucagon trials years ago, but it felt like it had all gone quiet.

Glad it actually made it through the approvals process, at least in the US


----------

