Drug May Relieve Crohn's, Other Disorders
An experimental drug that selectively tamps down part of the immune system can offer dramatic relief to many victims of the painful bowel disorder Crohn's disease, and might also work against illnesses such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis, researchers say.
Other drugs are already available against Crohn's, but their effectiveness is spotty. This is the first study to show that a certain immune system protein could be key to the poorly understood disease.
In the small, preliminary study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other sites found weekly injections ABT-874 reduced symptoms in as many as three-quarters of patients, or three times better than dummy injections.
"A lot of work has to be done, but it's very exciting," said Dr. Richard MacDermott, director of Albany Medical Center's inflammatory bowel disease center and scientific consultant to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.
The drug's maker, Abbott Laboratories, has not yet decided whether to conduct further tests and seek approval of the drug, spokesman Jim Bozikis said.
Researchers believe Crohn's disease is triggered when the immune system, for unknown reasons, overreacts to harmless bacteria normally present in the intestines and attacks tissue there. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and weight loss.
I know several people with this disease. If this pans out, how wonderful!
An estimated 500,000 to 1 million Americans have the disorder. There is no cure. The treatments now on the market do not work in some patients. Many stop working after awhile. And they all have side effects, ranging from diabetes, cataracts and high blood pressure to liver, pancreas and kidney problems.
