100 years later: Celebrating the history of glucagon in treating severe lows

Since its discovery 100 years ago in 1922, glucagon has made a significant impact in diabetes care management. But if you’re new to diabetes, you might be wondering, what is glucagon? And what is glucagon used for?

A key hormone formed in the pancreas that stimulates the release of sugar into the blood, glucagon prevents blood sugar levels from dropping too low (whereas insulin helps keep blood sugar from rising too high). For anyone with diabetes, their family and their caretakers, monitoring and managing blood sugar levels to make sure that insulin and glucagon levels are in balance is a daily task.

While the commercialized use of insulin has been widespread in diabetes management since the 1960s, the latest advancements in glucagon treatment for severe hypoglycemia have occurred more recently.

What is hypoglycemia?

Hypoglycemia, also referred to as low blood sugar, occurs when blood sugar levels drop below 70 mg/dL. Anyone taking insulin to treat type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes is at risk for mild, moderate or severe hypoglycemia. While mild or moderate hypoglycemia can be corrected with sugar (a sugary food or beverage), severe hypoglycemia requires prescription glucagon administration.

Awareness of the symptoms of hypoglycemia and severe lows is key to being able to act quickly. So is making sure that family, friends and caregivers know how to administer rescue glucagon — so the low can be safely treated. The Endocrine Society’s Know Hypo campaign has helped increase awareness of severe hypoglycemia, encouraging patients and their caregivers to take action sooner with glucagon to prevent complications.

History of glucagon

For decades, emergency glucagon kits — which contain a vial of glucagon powder and a syringe filled with saline — were the only commercially available options for treating severe lows. But in 2019, pre-filled syringes and needleless nasal sprays became available, and in 2020, glucagon autoinjectors came to market. These innovative glucagon treatments have enabled simple administration to treat very low blood sugar.

If you don’t have a glucagon prescription, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about which treatment option could work for you. Having glucagon on-hand will help you feel more prepared in the event of severe lows.

From the latest diabetes technology for monitoring insulin levels to ready-to-use glucagon injections, we’ve seen exciting improvements in diabetes care that are removing some of the burdens associated with managing diabetes. Over the last century, rescue glucagon has become a critical, even life-saving medication that helps those with diabetes and their loves ones be prepared in case of a low blood sugar emergency.