New treatment offers hope for short-bowel syndrome patients

A new drug, teduglutide, offers significant relief for patients with short-bowel syndrome intestinal failure who are reliant on intravenous nutrition, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Patients with this relatively rare condition experience massive bowel loss and are unable to absorb nutrients, vitamins and water from digested foods. They rely on parenteral nutrition, or intravenous feeding, to deliver their daily nutrients.

Teduglutide, from US biopharma company NPS Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: NPSP) gained US Food and Drug Administration approval under the brand name Gattex for subcutaneous use for the treatment of adult patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) who are dependent on parenteral support (The Pharma Letter December 27, 2012), and launched in February this year. The study was supported by NPS.