Millions of diabetes sufferers throughout the world can thank the most unlikely of all medical heroes - our desert-dwelling Gila monster - for a new and effective drug to control their disease.

Just given federal approval, the drug - marketed as Byetta - is made from the saliva of the slow-moving, venomous lizard of the American Southwest.

"Well, it's weird. You have to wonder how you can go from Gila monster saliva to something that works in humans," said Sandra Leal, a pharmacist and diabetes expert at El Rio Community Health Center.

"But when we explain it to patients, we talk about how infrequently Gila monsters eat, and how this chemical helps them digest meals slowly over time. That's very advantageous for controlling diabetes."

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Byetta - a new class of diabetes drug - has proved not only able to control blood sugar for longer periods of time than older diabetes drugs, but also to decrease appetite, leading to weight loss.

"When people hear that, that's a big seller," Leal said. "It helps overcome the drug's one disadvantage - that it has to be injected. People are often resistant to having to give themselves a shot."

But before anyone heads out to the desert to kiss a Gila monster for diabetes relief, bear in mind that this drug - known scientifically as exenatide - was not discovered by someone who was bitten by this lizard.

Far from it.

"In fact, the first time I ever saw a Gila monster was last year, when they flew me out to Portal (in Southeastern Arizona) to see the real thing," said Dr. John Eng, an endocrinologist at the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York City...