History
Octreotide acetate was approved for use in the United States in 1988.In January 2020, approval of octreotide acetate in the United States was granted to Sun Pharmaceutical under the brand name Bynfezia Pen for the treatment of:
the reduction of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (somatomedin C) in adults with acromegaly who have had inadequate response to or cannot be treated with surgical resection, pituitary irradiation, and bromocriptine mesylate at maximally tolerated doses
severe diarrhea/flushing episodes associated with metastatic carcinoid tumors in adults
profuse watery diarrhea associated with vasoactive intestinal peptide tumors (VIPomas) in adults

Society and culture
Legal status
On 15 September 2022, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Mycapssa, intended for the treatment of adults with acromegaly. The applicant for this medicinal product is Amryt Pharmaceuticals DAC. Research
Octreotide has also been used off-label for the treatment of severe, refractory diarrhea from other causes. It is used in toxicology for the treatment of prolonged recurrent hypoglycemia after sulfonylurea and possibly meglitinide overdose. It has also been used with varying degrees of success in infants with nesidioblastosis to help decrease insulin hypersecretion.
Pharmacology
Since octreotide resembles somatostatin in physiological activities, it can:

inhibit secretion of many hormones, such as gastrin, cholecystokinin, glucagon, growth hormone, insulin, secretin, pancreatic polypeptide, TSH, and vasoactive intestinal peptide,
reduce secretion of fluids by the intestine and pancreas,
reduce gastrointestinal motility and inhibit contraction of the gallbladder,
inhibit the action of certain hormones from the anterior pituitary,
cause vasoconstriction in the blood vessels, and
reduce portal vessel pressures in bleeding varices.It has also been shown to produce analgesic effects, most probably acting as a partial agonist at the mu opioid receptor. Pharmacokinetics
Octreotide is absorbed quickly and completely after subcutaneous application. Maximal plasma concentration is reached after 30 minutes. The elimination half-life is 100 minutes (1.7 hours) on average when applied subcutaneously; after intravenous injection, the substance is eliminated in two phases with half-lives of 10 and 90 minutes, respectively.