Xeris Pharmaceuticals today said it has launched its Gvoke HypoPen glucagon injection to treat severe hypoglycemia.
The autoinjector is designed to treat severe hypoglycemia in adults and children with diabetes that are ages two years and older. The premixed autoinjector has no visible needle and has a reliable delivery method. According to the company, 99% of people were able to use the device correctly and 99% of adults and 100% of kids had their blood sugars raised to safe levels.
It is available in 0.5mg/0.1mL doses for children who weigh less than 100 pounds and 1mg/0.2mL for adolescents and adults who weigh more than 100 pounds.
“We are excited to announce that Gvoke HypoPen is now available. The simplicity and reliability of Gvoke HypoPen has the potential to change people’s ability to confidently respond to a severe hypoglycemic event in a timely manner,” CEO Paul Edick said in a news release. “In addition, as we prepared for launch, we had a heightened focus on ensuring Gvoke HypoPen is covered by insurance. Currently, approximately 78% of commercially insured and Medicare lives have unrestricted access to Gvoke HypoPen.”
The company said it is committed to ensuring patients have access to the device and for a limited time, commercially insured patients can pay as little as $0 for two Gvoke HypoPens by using the Gvoke co-pay savings card. Xeris also said it offers a Patient Assistance Program to help qualifying patients get Gvoke.
“Gvoke HypoPen allows the diabetes community to change how we approach treating severe low blood sugar events,” said Bruce Bode, a diabetes specialist at Atlanta Diabetes Associates. “Anyone can use Gvoke HypoPen in two simple steps. That opens the door for some patients to even give it to themselves, in certain situations. My hope is that what was once considered a crisis moment, can now become a manageable situation with Gvoke HypoPen.”
