What is Gvoke (glucagon) used for and how does it work?

Gvoke is an injection used to treat very low blood sugar (severe ) in diabetic patients. Gvoke (glucagon) injection helps increase the blood sugar levels and can be lifesaving if a patient has severely low blood sugar and is unable to eat or drink something to increase it.

Severe hypoglycemia should be treated as an emergency as if it is left untreated it may cause seizure, coma or death

Symptoms of very low blood sugar are:

• Confusion
• Coordination difficulties
• Difficulty eating or drinking due to confusion or being uncooperative
• Unconsciousness
• Seizures.

How does Gvoke work?

If your blood sugar is very low (hypoglycemia) then Gvoke is injected subcutaneously

• Gvoke makes the liver to turn stored glucogen into glucose.
• The glucose is released into the bloodstream.
• Blood glucose levels increase.

Once the blood sugars have returned to a more normal level the patient should become alert and be able to eat. Even if a patient seems well, after having very low blood sugar levels, the patient should still see their health care professional promptly.

Severe low blood sugar is an emergency and you should not leave the person alone.

What forms is Gvoke available in ?

Gvoke Is available in three different forms for patients preference:

Gvoke Kit

• Ready to use single dose vial with a syringe marked for 0.1ml (pediatric dose) and another syringe marked with 0.2ml (adult dose).
• This is ideal for people who prefer to draw up their own dose using a vial and syringe.

Gvoke PFS

• This is a pre-filled single dose syringe.
• Available as a 0.5mg/0.1ml single dose pre-filled syringe and 1mg/0.2ml single dose pre-filled syringe.

Gvoke HypoPen

• This is an auto-injector device designed for ease of use, without a visible needle.
• This is available as a 0.5 mg/0.1 mL single-dose pre-filled HypoPen auto-injector and the 1 mg/0.2 mL single-dose pre-filled HypoPen auto-injector.

Related questions

• When should you use glucagon?
• Are glucagon and glycogen the same thing?
• Insulin vs Glucagon - What do they have in common?

Bottomline:

• Gvoke is a subcutaneous injection used to treat very low blood sugar in diabetic patients.
• Gvoke is available in three different forms Gvoke HypoPen, Gvoke PFS, and Gvoke Kit.
• Severe low blood sugar levels is an emergency as it may cause seizure, coma or death.
• Gvoke works by making the liver turn stored glycogen into glucose, which is then released into the bloodstream and therefore increases blood glucose levels.