Eggs Of Pig Parasite Could Treat Your Autoimmune Disease

Nobody can understand the plight of patients suffering from autoimmune disease better than the patient himself. The symptoms can be pretty debilitating and the patients are always on a look-out for newer therapies that can provide them some respite for certain duration of time.

Though many people are skeptical about a broad acceptance of this form of therapy, the makers of the drug are fairly confident about its success. They believe that patients suffering from autoimmune diseases are so desperate that they would not mind swallowing the eggs.

Helminthic therapy

The basis of this form of treatment is the helminthic therapy. The eggs of this parasite, known as whipworm grow into mature worms inside the gut of the pig and multiply. The eggs are passed out in the feces of the pig. When these eggs are ingested by humans, they are destroyed within two weeks. However in this short duration, these eggs modulate the immune system of the man in such a manner that it no longer attacks its own tissues and organs, a characteristic feature of all autoimmune diseases.

Each dose of the drug, called as trichuris suis ova (TSO), consists of about 7,500 eggs of pig whipworm, culled from the feces of pigs, and suspended in a tablespoon of saline solution. The drug has to be swallowed by the patients.

Experts believe that not only is TSO a potential drug for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, it is devoid of any of the side effects of the drugs commonly used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. This is because the eggs are destroyed by the body within two weeks.

Soon to be launched a mid-stage clinical trial

The company will soon launch a mid-stage clinical trial with 220 patients of Crohn’s disease. The patients will be divided into two groups. While the first group will receive a dose of 7,500 pig whipworm eggs, the second group will receive a placebo once every two weeks for duration of 12 weeks. The company expects to get the results of the trial by the second half of next year.

German drug-making company, Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH, which is a partner of Coronado Biosciences Inc., is already conducting a mid-stage clinical trial of TSO in Europe, involving 250 people. Its results will be out by next summer. Both the companies will share their results before filing for market approval in 2016/17.

Technology Behind TSO Based On Hygiene Hypothesis

The drug TSO was developed by Dr. Weinstock in collaboration with researchers from the University of Iowa, where he used to work before joining Tufts. The technology behind TSO is based on “hygiene hypothesis”, according to which certain countries have become too clean for their own good.

In countries where such hygienic conditions do not prevail, the human body comes in contact with millions of micro-organisms present in dirt.

However, in countries where too much attention is paid to the basic hygiene, these micro-organisms are killed by the anti-bacterial soaps and the sanitizing gels before they can enter the human body. The researchers have opined that the absence of exposure to certain parasites of the intestine, because of these sanitary measures, divests the body of a chance to modulate its immune system. This may result in the development of autoimmune diseases.

This hygiene hypothesis is further corroborated by studies which have found that autoimmune diseases are more frequently seen in the developed countries compared to the developing nations. Even in the developed countries, these diseases are more common in families belonging to the upper income bracket, wherein stringent attention is paid to the hygiene conditions.

Millions suffer from autoimmune diseases

According to latest statistics, more than 700,000 Americans suffer from Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease affecting the bowel. Around 50 million people in the U.S. are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, while another 7.5 million people suffer from psoriasis, a skin condition wherein the patients develop thick red skin, with scales which are flaky, silver-white patches on the skin.

The commonly employed mode of treatment for autoimmune diseases is injecting a drug which blocks a protein named as the tumor necrosis factor. This, in turn, results in a depression of the body’s immune system and relief from the symptoms of the disease for a period of time. However, the main pitfall of this form of treatment is that as the body’s defense is lowered, there is an increased risk of developing opportunistic infections, the most common of which are tuberculosis and cancers. As TSO does not cause any permanent side effect because of its short stay in the body, the company launching it feels that its acceptance will be high. The company officials say that they had no problem finding volunteers for the clinical trials.

Side effect of TSO

As per Bobby Sandage Jr., the chief executive officer at Coronado’s, the only side effect that one-third of the people who tried TSO experienced was some discomfort of the gut, like abdominal cramps or diarrhea, after taking the first or the second dose. However, these symptoms disappeared spontaneously with subsequent doses. According to Sanger, patients must continue to take the drug in order to keep the symptoms away.

According to a market research by BBC Research, the share of these drugs is expected to grow in the mid-single-digit percentages through 2016. Coronado Biosciences Inc. expects to capture a big share of this market with TSO.

One important aspect that the company will have to look into before getting an approval by the FDA is the proper cleaning of the eggs. Normally, all biologic drugs are purified by means of extreme heat or radiation. But this cannot be done with TSO as the eggs need to stay alive for modulation of the immune system. At present, the company is employing an acid wash technique to clean the eggs. The eggs are not damaged by this technique as they have already evolved to stay alive in the acidic conditions present in the pig’s stomach.

Only time will tell, if this new form of treatment for autoimmune diseases can live up to the expectations of the public. For the time being, the company seems fairly optimistic.