New treatment paradigm for C. Diff colitis

Produced and interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

New drugs have been developed to treat the growing problem of C. diff colitis. They focus on the problem of newer virulent strains of clostridium difficile that are resistant to most antibiotics, but is that the proper or only approach?

More patients are becoming chronically infected by C. Diff and require lifelong vancomycin. Is something else other than a super virulent organism causing this problem? Is antibiotic usage altering the normal GI tract microbiota rendering these patients susceptible to recurrent bouts of C. diff colitis?

Infectious disease specialist, Dr. Vincent Young, MD PhD of the university of Michigan, discusses these issues.

Vincent Young, MD PhD: The NIH Human Microbiome Project

Produced and interviewed by Steven E. Greer, MD

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Vincent Young from the University of Michigan discusses the NIH project to catalog the bacterium that normally live within the human body and assist in normal physiology.

The IOM report on counterfeit and substandard drugs

Prashant Yadav, PhD, Director, Health Care Research Initiative, University of Michigan, discusses the IOM report he helped author that investigated the extent of the problem of counterfeit and substandard drugs. The FDA commissioned the report in the wake of high profile problems, such as counterfeit Avastin and the meningitis outbreak caused by substandard drugs.

Since 80% of the active ingredients of medicinal drugs consumed by Americans come from Chine, India, and other countries, the supply chain is complex. He explains that no adequate tracking system exists for all of the components of the drug, from start to completion to the store shelves. In fact, the tracking of FedEx or UPS packages is far more sophisticated than the tracking of drugs.

 

Non-antibiotic methods to cure recurrent C. difficile colitis

Interviewed by Steven E Greer, MD

Vincent Young, MD PhD, infectious disease specialist from The University of Michigan discusses fecal transplantation (or transfer) to treat recurrent C. difficile colitis. Pseudomembranous colitis kills at least 16,000 patient per year in the U.S., and extends hospital stay in another 500,000, adding several billion in cost to the healthcare system.

In the second part, Dr. Young mentions new therapies in clinical trials to treat C. diff Pseudomembranous colitis including, monocloncal antibodies against the toxin, vaccines to rev up the immune system, and strains of C. diff. that do not produce the toxin.