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Probiotic Therapy May Be Effective for Treating Ulcerative Colitis: Presented at DDW

By Mike Fillon

ORLANDO, FL -- May 21, 2003 -- Probiotic therapy might be effective for treating patients with ulcerative colitis, according to research presented here May 19^th at Digestive Disease Week 2003.

Probiotics -- the use of living organisms, ingested in precise numbers, to improve health -- are generally prepared from a large group of empirically designated lactic acid bacteria (LAB).

Lead investigator Richard Fedorak, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the division of gastroenterology at University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, said that although the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis is not clearly understood, evidence suggests that controlling the balance of the intestinal bacterial flora may be very beneficial for these patients.

"Many ulcerative colitis patients do not respond to conventional treatments and side effects of these medications can be troublesome," Dr. Fedorak said. "These results are meaningful because they demonstrate that adding a probiotic with multiple strains and a high concentration of bacteria to the treatment regimen may have the potential to stop this disease in its tracks and avoid any treatment-related side effects."

In the multicenter, open-label study, 30 patients from Canada, United States, and Italy with a recent flare-up of mild to moderate ulcerative colitis that did not respond to conventional treatment were given four packets daily of the probiotic preparation VSL#3 (equivalent to 3,600 billion good bacteria) for 6 weeks. Eligible patients also remained on steady doses of standard therapies including mesalamine, oral corticosteroids, and azathioprine.

The primary end point of remission was determined using the Ulcerative Colitis Clinical Score (UCCS), and was observed in 63% of patients. An additional 23% had an improvement in symptoms, for a combined remission/response rate of 86%. Four patients did not respond to the treatment, with one patient demonstrating worsened disease activity.

No adverse biochemical or clinical effects were observed by adding the therapy.

Dr. Fedorak said results from the study confirm earlier findings that showed VSL#3 is effective in the management of gastrointestinal disorders such as pouchitis, a major complication following a common surgical procedure in patients with ulcerative colitis.


[Study title: VSL3 Probiotic Mixture Induces Remission in Patients with Active Ulcerative Colitis. Abstract 102453]

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