Despite glowing reports of success a few years ago, recent trials that involved the use of whip worms to treat Crohn's disease haven't brought the anticipated results:
Worms Flop in Crohn's DiseaseThe German partner of Coronado Biosciences has terminated a clinical trial of Trichuris suis ova -- a whipworm parasite of pigs -- for Crohn's disease because of a lack of efficacy.
This action was taken because of a recommendation of an independent data monitoring committee, which noted that no safety concerns had arisen during the study, known as TRUST-2.
The committee conducted a second interim analysis of 240 patients who had been treated for 3 months in a phase II study conducted by Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH.
Coronado chief executive officer Harlan Weisman acknowledged that the company wasn't surprised at the disappointing results, because its own double-blind trial, TRUST-1, of helminth treatment in Crohn's also had shown inadequate efficacy.
While it's possible that whipworms may still show benefits for other autoimmune type diseases, IMO the similarities between MC and Crohn's disease make it very unlikely that helminth therapy will ever be a practical treatment for MC.
Tex
