Claimed effect · Glucagon

Does Glucagon help with reversal of severe hypoglycaemia?

A
Grade A — established in humansDecades of use; approval programme · effect size: large
Short answerEstablished in humans. Decades of use; approval programme point the same way: a large effect. The licensed indication: glucagon raises blood glucose within minutes by mobilising hepatic glycogen, and is the standard rescue treatment when someone with diabetes cannot take sugar by mouth. The effect is large, fast and uncontested.

What the studies show

The licensed indication: glucagon raises blood glucose within minutes by mobilising hepatic glycogen, and is the standard rescue treatment when someone with diabetes cannot take sugar by mouth. The effect is large, fast and uncontested.

Several well-run randomised trials in people, pointing the same way. You can plan around this. It still says nothing about whether the effect is worth the side effects for you.

  1. 1
    Gvoke (glucagon injection) prescribing information.DailyMed, read 29 Oct 2026Route, half-life and licensed use of the ready-to-use subcutaneous injection.
  2. 2
    Baqsimi (glucagon nasal powder) prescribing information.DailyMed, read 29 Oct 2026Nasal route; median half-life about 35 minutes.

In context

Glucagon is the 29-amino-acid pancreatic hormone that mobilises stored glucose from the liver, and the emergency treatment for severe hypoglycaemia in people with diabetes. Modern formulations removed the reconstitution step that made the old kits hard to use in a crisis: a ready-to-use injection and a nasal powder. In a 75-person crossover trial the nasal powder raised blood glucose successfully at all but one dosing visit, against all visits for intramuscular injection. It is prescription-only everywhere LYO covers.

Glucagon is approved (rx). Legal status differs by country — see the regulation section or the jurisdiction pages.

Questions

Is Glucagon proven to help with reversal of severe hypoglycaemia?
Yes, as far as human trials can show it: Decades of use; approval programme. LYO grades this outcome A.
What studies are behind the grade?
The licensed indication: glucagon raises blood glucose within minutes by mobilising hepatic glycogen, and is the standard rescue treatment when someone with diabetes cannot take sugar by mouth. The effect is large, fast and uncontested.
Is Glucagon approved for this?
Glucagon is an approved medicine (Approved (Rx)); whether this particular outcome is a licensed indication is stated on the compound page's regulation section.

Other outcomes for Glucagon

Written and maintained by LYO Research — how pages are written and checked. Reviewed 29 October 2026. Grades count human evidence only; see how LYO grades. Not medical advice. Correct this page →