Subscribe
Letter from Alice: When One Door Closes…
Dear Beyond Celiac Community,
I’ve heard from many of you that the news that 9 Meters Biopharma discontinued its Phase 3 trial for larazotide acetate has been greatly disappointing. My response to everyone is the same—don’t be discouraged. Don’t give up on the possibility we will eventually have better options than the gluten-free diet alone. Don’t give up on a cure.
As I’ve said before, scientific discovery is often a slow process, with successes and failures both building on each other. Celiac disease is woefully underfunded federally, which only slows the process further. As with any disease, there will always be setbacks and triumphs as we move toward effective therapies. There are ways to speed up this progress, which Beyond Celiac has been committed to and working diligently toward each and every day: we’re recruiting for trials, we’re filling in funding gaps toward life-changing research, and we’re collecting much-needed research data in our registry.
Treatments and a cure are on the horizon. And while this trial has been discontinued, 9 Meters says it plans to continue to analyze existing data over the coming weeks to determine if some celiac disease symptoms might benefit from treatment with larazotide.
We also have to remember that when one door closes, others open. While this trial was the only celiac disease treatment in Phase 3, a number of other drugs are currently under study in earlier phases of investigation. In fact, recently two companies with drugs to treat celiac disease in Phase 1 (KAN-101) and Phase 2 (Latiglutenase) of clinical trials reported positive study results and are moving forward with enthusiasm. Additionally, there are a number of other potential treatments at various stages in the development pipeline.
At Beyond Celiac, we remain committed to our mission of advancing research and supporting scientists even in the face of a closing door. We remain resolute in driving research to find treatment and a cure for celiac disease by 2030.
Perhaps most important to mention is the patients who have volunteered for trials. They are the true heroes of this work toward a cure. I want to encourage others with celiac disease to volunteer and not let the outcome of this trial dissuade you. Be reassured that drug developers take rigorous steps needed to minimize risk and keep volunteers safe—and remember that research cannot progress without patient participation. We at Beyond Celiac will continue to advocate for the trials to be geographically accessible and with as few barriers as possible for study inclusion.
To move research forward, we all need to be ready to help. With our outstanding community and our Go Beyond Celiac registry, we be able to eat without fear and live life to the fullest by 2030.
Together for a cure,
—Alice Bast
