5 stories you may have missed in May - Healio

Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease has compiled a list of some of the top stories we reported in May.

Our readers were most interested in a biologic license application for a subcutaneous ulcerative colitis treatment, as well as results of a study involving fecal microbiota transplantation and its role in hospital costs associated with Clostridioides difficile infection.

FDA accepts application for subcutaneous Entyvio for ulcerative colitis

The FDA accepted a biologic license application for a subcutaneous formulation of Entyvio for maintenance therapy in adults with moderately-to-severely active ulcerative colitis, according to a company press release.

“Acceptance of this regulatory submission for review brings us one step closer to our goal of better meeting the diverse needs of patients with ulcerative colitis in the U.S.,” Uthra Sundaram, senior vice president of the GI business unit at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., said in the release. “The availability of a subcutaneous option for maintenance therapy with [Entyvio (vedolizumab)], in addition to the currently approved intravenous formulation, would provide physicians and patients with greater flexibility on route of administration, if approved.” READ MORE.

Patients with IBD twice as likely to have herpes zoster

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have higher hospitalization rates for herpes zoster virus compared with other people without IBD, according to study results.

Daniella Guerrero- Vinsard , MD, of the department of internal medicine at University of Connecticut Health Center, and colleagues wrote in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases that patients with IBD are particularly susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases, but current guidelines regarding vaccinations are backed up by lower-level evidence. READ MORE.

Undersampling ‘concerning’ in Barrett’s screening

Data from the GI Quality Improvement Consortium Registry revealed that some endoscopists are not collecting enough samples when performing systematic biopsies for Barrett’s esophagus, particularly in longer lesions where the sampling is most useful.

Sachin Wani , MD, of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, and colleagues wrote in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy that systematic biopsy — known as the Seattle protocol — helps improve detection, but adherence to its practice has been unclear. READ MORE.

FMT spurs ‘huge’ drop in hospital costs for patients with C. diff

Patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection on average avoided 17 days of hospitalization in the first year after being treated with fecal microbiota transplantation, according to real-world data.

Christian L. Hvas , MD, PhD, of the department of hepatology and gastroenterology at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, said in a press release that implementing new therapies like FMT can be expensive, but it is worth it in the long run. READ MORE.

Single-dose aspirin fails to improve FIT results

A single dose of aspirin did not help improve the sensitivity of fecal immunochemical testing for adults undergoing colorectal cancer screening, according to a study published in JAMA.

Hermann Brenner, MD, MPH, of the division of clinical epidemiology and aging research at the German Cancer Research Center, and colleagues wrote that a previous observational study found that low-dose aspirin helped enhance sensitivity of FITs for detecting advanced adenomas, and they wanted to expand this research into a randomized, controlled trial. READ MORE.

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