Last April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first orally administered fecal microbiota transplant product, paving the way for the treatment of several bowel diseases.
- The FDA, the US government department responsible for pre-market drug research, testing, and regulation has approved fecal transplant capsules.
- This therapy helps to fight against infection with Clostridioides difficile bacteria which causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon.
- Oral faecal transplantation could also represent an effective treatment for other diseases linked to an imbalance of the microbiota – all of the intestinal bacteria.
This is a real step forward in the fight against bacteria Clostridioides difficile (It’s hard) in adults and potentially other disorders of the microbiota, the set of bacteria present in the intestines. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the oral administration of faecal transplant capsules to prevent re-infections with this bacterium.
The bacterium It’s hard can cause death
There Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) colitis is an inflammation of the colon, caused by a toxin produced by the bacteria It’s hard. It usually develops after taking antibiotics which allow these bacteria to grow in the intestine and it causes digestive problems such as diarrhoea.
But uno longer deadly strain of It’s hard has been identified in certain hospital epidemics. This strain produces significantly more toxins, causes more severe disease with a greater likelihood of relapse, is easily transmitted, and responds less well to antibiotic treatment.
Indeed, if antibiotics help destroy bad bacteria in the intestine, they also destroy healthy ones, thus making this essential organ more likely to be infected again. The risk of recurrence increases after each infection.
It is now one of the nosocomial infections (acquired in a care facility) Iare most common in the United States and are associated with 15,000 to 30,000 deaths per year, says the FDA in his press release.
Fecal transplant capsules, a simple and effective treatment
Fecal transplantation involves restoring the balance of bacteria in the gut from healthy bacteria from a stool donor. It therefore presents an effective means of supporting the intestinal microbiota to enable it to fight against this infection. And if this graft is already usedorally, it is an innovative and more practical treatment.
The placing on the market of the capsule “Vowst” has been encouraged by several placebo-controlled clinical studies that have proven its effectiveness. According to a trial of 182 participants, the drug was active for up to eight weeks after treatment. In addition, the recurrence of infection with It’s hard was lower in participants treated with Vowst than in placebo-treated participants (12.4% versus 39.8%).
Faecal transplantation: a solution to treat other diseases?
This therapy could also be beneficial for a significant number of other pathologies. Indeed, if fecal transplants during infections with Clostridium difficile are among the most studied, other diseases represent potential targets, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), functional intestinal disorders, obesity, metabolic and autoimmune diseases or neuropsychiatric disorders, specifies theNational Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM).
But the risks are not zero. Beyond secondary side effects such as abdominal swelling, constipation and diarrhea, the potential transmission of infectious agents or food allergens is real, even if donors and their stools are tested for a panel beforehand. transmissible pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites). This is why the faecal transplant must imperatively be done under medical supervision, stipulate the authorities.
