Glucagon (medication)

This article is about the medication. For the natural hormone, see Glucagon.

Glucagon
Glucagon ball and stick model, with the carboxyl terminus above and the amino terminus below
Clinical data
Trade namesGlucagen, Baqsimi, Gvoke, others
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
MedlinePlusa682480
License data
Pregnancy
category
Routes of
administration		Nasal, intravenous (IV), intramuscular injection (IM), subcutaneous injection
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Identifiers
  • Glucagon
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC153H225N43O49S
Molar mass3482.80 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • C[C@H]([C@@H](C(=O)N[C@@H](Cc1ccccc1)C(=O)N[C@@H]([C@@H](C)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CO)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(=O)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](Cc2ccc(cc2)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CO)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCCN)C(=O)N[C@@H](Cc3ccc(cc3)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(=O)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CO)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCNC(=N)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCNC(=N)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(=O)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](Cc4ccccc4)C(=O)N[C@@H](C(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](Cc5c[nH]c6c5cccc6)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCSC)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(=O)N)C(=O)N[C@@H]([C@@H](C)O)C(=O)O)NC(=O)CNC(=O)[C@H](CCC(=O)N)NC(=O)[C@H](CO)NC(=O)[C@H](Cc7cnc[nH]7)N)O
  • InChI=1S/C153H225N43O49S/c1-72(2)52-97(133(226)176-96(47-51-246-11)132(225)184-104(60-115(159)209)143(236)196-123(78(10)203)151(244)245)179-137(230)103(58-83-64-167-89-29-19-18-28-87(83)89)183-131(224)95(43-46-114(158)208)177-148(241)120(74(5)6)194-141(234)101(54-79-24-14-12-15-25-79)182-138(231)105(61-117(211)212)185-130(223)94(42-45-113(157)207)171-124(217)75(7)170-127(220)91(31-22-49-165-152(160)161)172-128(221)92(32-23-50-166-153(162)163)174-146(239)110(69-199)191-140(233)107(63-119(215)216)186-134(227)98(53-73(3)4)178-135(228)99(56-81-33-37-85(204)38-34-81)180-129(222)90(30-20-21-48-154)173-145(238)109(68-198)190-136(229)100(57-82-35-39-86(205)40-36-82)181-139(232)106(62-118(213)214)187-147(240)111(70-200)192-150(243)122(77(9)202)195-142(235)102(55-80-26-16-13-17-27-80)188-149(242)121(76(8)201)193-116(210)66-168-126(219)93(41-44-112(156)206)175-144(237)108(67-197)189-125(218)88(155)59-84-65-164-71-169-84/h12-19,24-29,33-40,64-65,71-78,88,90-111,120-123,167,197-205H,20-23,30-32,41-63,66-70,154-155H2,1-11H3,(H2,156,206)(H2,157,207)(H2,158,208)(H2,159,209)(H,164,169)(H,168,219)(H,170,220)(H,171,217)(H,172,221)(H,173,238)(H,174,239)(H,175,237)(H,176,226)(H,177,241)(H,178,228)(H,179,230)(H,180,222)(H,181,232)(H,182,231)(H,183,224)(H,184,225)(H,185,223)(H,186,227)(H,187,240)(H,188,242)(H,189,218)(H,190,229)(H,191,233)(H,192,243)(H,193,210)(H,194,234)(H,195,235)(H,196,236)(H,211,212)(H,213,214)(H,215,216)(H,244,245)(H4,160,161,165)(H4,162,163,166)/t75-,76+,77+,78+,88-,90-,91-,92-,93-,94-,95-,96-,97-,98-,99-,100-,101-,102-,103-,104-,105-,106-,107-,108-,109-,110-,111-,120-,121-,122-,123-/m0/s1 checkY
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Glucagon, sold under the brand name Baqsimi among others, is a medication and hormone.[9] As a medication it is used to treat low blood sugar, beta blocker overdose, calcium channel blocker overdose, and those with anaphylaxis who do not improve with epinephrine.[10] It is given by injection into a vein, muscle, or under the skin.[10] A version given in the nose is also available.[11]

Common side effects include vomiting.[10] Other side effects include low blood potassium and low blood pressure.[9] It is not recommended in people who have a pheochromocytoma or insulinoma.[10] Use in pregnancy has not been found to be harmful to the baby.[12] Glucagon is in the glycogenolytic family of medications.[10] It works by causing the liver to break down glycogen into glucose.[10]

Glucagon was approved for medical use in the United States in 1960.[10] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[13] It is a manufactured form of the glucagon hormone.[10] A generic version became available in the United States in December 2020.[14]

  1. ^ "Glucagon Use During Pregnancy". Drugs.com. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Baqsimi Product information". Health Canada. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  3. ^ "GlucaGen Hypokit 1 mg - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)". (emc). 15 June 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Glucagon kit". DailyMed. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Baqsimi- glucagon powder". DailyMed. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Baqsimi EPAR". European Medicines Agency. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ogluo EPAR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Ogluo Product information". Union Register of medicinal products. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  9. ^ a b British national formulary : BNF 69 (69 ed.). British Medical Association. 2015. p. 487. ISBN 9780857111562.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Glucagon". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference FDA PR 20190724 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Glucagon (GlucaGen) Use During Pregnancy". www.drugs.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  13. ^ World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  14. ^ "FDA Approves First Generic of Drug Used to Treat Severe Hypoglycemia". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Press release). 28 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.