Over just the last 20 years, lots of advancement through scientific research has improved the treatments for people suffering from IBD. Here, I walk you through 5 impactful studies that are to be presented at the Crohn’s and Colitis Congress. This is a meeting held annually for IBD care providers to learn about advancements in care.
- Lymphoma has been found to be not associated with anti-TNF therapy in pediatric IBD patients.
This means that medications like Remicade (infliximab), Enbrel (etanercept), and Humira (adalimumab) have now been found to not be as associated with risk of lymphoma as previously thought. This is good news, as these are some of the most effective drugs for IBD. We will more than likely see more prescribing of this category of medication with the risk of cancer lowering.
2. There is a new promising drug specifically for those suffering from Crohn’s.
There has been a promising Phase 1 study for AZD4205 for Crohn’s disease. This medication is oral, making it easy to take. It is defined as ATP-competitive and JAK1 selective inhibitor. It has been found to have higher concentration in the gut of rodents, making it a promising and safe drug for humans. It has also now been tested in healthy volunteers, and was shown to be well-tolerated with no adverse side effects. Hopefully we will see more trials with positive outcomes in the near future.
3. Researchers at UMASS Medical School have developed a IBD Anti-inflammatory Diet for people with IBD.
IBD patients are thought to have ‘leaky gut’ meaning that the bacteria in the intestinal tract is severely imbalanced. Researchers at UMASS Medical School have developed a diet that aims to rebalance that bacteria. In trials 61.3% of IBD patients saw improvement in 6 weeks. It is actually similar in structure to the SCD diet, avoiding lactose, wheat, and sucrose (sugar) and being introduced in stages. It however differs from SCD in allowing grains like oats. While there is still research to be done, it’s a promising start.
4. Because of biologics less people with Ulcerative Colitis need to get colectomies.
This comes as welcome and encouraging news! A large healthcare delivery organization identified an almost 15% drop in colectomies in UC patients during their first hospitalization. They also found an almost 10% drop in colectomies after the first year of hospitalization in UC patients. Biologics have been revolutionizing the treatments of IBD, and we are now seeing those effects.
5. For UC patients needing a fecal microbiota transplant donor, siblings could be the closest match.
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is still an experimental treatment for UC. it consists of taking fecal bacteria from a good match, like a spouse, parent, or sibling, and transplanting that good bacteria directly to the IBD patient’s colon. Studies showed that siblings with 10 or less years between them did better, and had treatments last longer than those from a parent. This is still a new idea and form of treatment needs to be conducted, but could be an alternative to biologics if more research goes well.
These are just 5 of the 191 abstracts being presented. If you want the full list that they will present you can email [email protected]g from the Crohn’s and Colitis foundation. Keep an eye out for these advancing treatments, and others to come! While a specific medication may not be working for you doesn’t mean another one does not exist. Research is always being conducted and new advancements in medicine are always taking place. Don’t lose hope!
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