James J. Peters VA Medical Center

The origin story, as you and listeners know, is one of my favorites.

John Eng, who was an endocrinologist at the Bronx VA, was studying heli-monster venom.

And in 1992, he isolated Xtend and four, which was a GLP-1 lookalike that resisted breakdown far longer than the human hormone.

That ultimately became exenatide, or Bayeta, the brand name, which was approved in 2005.

His name is Ian Brandes-Avant.

Ian is a veteran who works at the James J. Peters VA in the Bronx, helping other veterans with things like substance abuse, homelessness, mental health.

And what he's been dealing with since getting Legionnaires looks a little different from what we just heard from Nunzio.

Really? What happened to him?

The breakthrough is now considered one of the most consequential health advances of the 21st century.

In the early 1990s, Dr. John Ng, an endocrinologist at the Bronx VA Medical Center, was investigating the biochemical composition of Gila monster venom.

The venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States had an unusual ability.

It could go months without eating while maintaining stable blood sugar levels.