Glucagon is a hormone that the body uses to help control blood sugar levels. Because it can increase blood sugar, glucagon is used as a treatment for severe low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). It is also used in certain diagnostic tests.
Who Makes This Medication?
Glucagon kits, which contain everything needed to prepare and give the injections, are made by Eli Lilly and Company (sold under the name "
Glucagon Emergency Kit") and by Novo Nordisk, Inc. (sold under the name "
GlucaGen® HypoKit
®"). In addition, Bedford Laboratories makes a version of GlucaGen that comes with just the glucagon powder and the liquid used to dissolve the powder (not the whole kit) and is suitable only for use in hospitals or other similar settings, typically for use during diagnostic tests.
Glucagon is a naturally occurring human hormone.
It has several different actions, most notably causing an increase in blood glucose. It does this by working in the liver to convert glycogen (the stored form of glucose) into glucose (sugar).
Glucagon also causes relaxation of the smooth muscles of the digestive (gastrointestinal) tract. Because of this effect, the medication is sometimes used during certain diagnostic tests in order to slow down the digestive tract.
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