Source: Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) Revision Year: 2021 Publisher: Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Allé, DK-2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark
Pharmacotherapeutic group: Pancreatic hormones, Glycogenolytic hormones
ATC code: H04AA01
Glucagon is a hyperglycaemic agent that mobilises hepatic glycogen, which is released into the blood as glucose. Glucagon inhibits the tone and motility of the smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract.
When used in treatment of severe hypoglycaemia, an effect on blood glucose is usually seen within 10 minutes.
The onset of inhibitory effect on gastrointestinal motility occurs within 1 minute after an intravenous injection. Duration of action is in the range 5–20 minutes depending on the dose. The onset of effect occurs within 5–15 minutes after an intramuscular injection, with a duration of 10–40 minutes.
Glucagon is degraded enzymatically in the blood plasma and in the organs to which it is distributed. The liver and kidney are major sites of glucagon clearance, each organ contributing about 30% to the overall metabolic clearance rate.
Glucagon has a short half-life in the blood of about 3–6 minutes. Metabolic clearance rate of glucagon in humans is approximately 10 ml/kg/min.
No relevant pre-clinical data exist that provide information useful to the prescriber.
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