Obeticholic Acid in Bile Acid Diarrhoea

Summary

The investigators propose to develop studies of obeticholic acid (OCA) in patients with bile acid diarrhoea. OCA is a semisynthetic bile acid, also known as 6αethylchenodeoxycholic acid or INT747,and is a potent farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist. Preliminary data suggests that patients with bile acid diarrhoea have impaired production of the ileal hormone Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF19). FGF19 is stimulated by FXR agonists, and regulates bile acid synthesis. This study is a pilot, proof-of-concept, open-label study to investigate whether OCA can stimulate FGF19 in bile acid diarrhoea patients to provide a safe and effective treatment.

Timeline

Start

2012-04

Primary completion

2014-01

Completion

2014-02

Publications

• Background Wedlake L, A'Hern R, Russell D, Thomas K, Walters JR, Andreyev HJ. Systematic review: the prevalence of idiopathic bile acid malabsorption as diagnosed by SeHCAT scanning in patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Oct;30(7):707-17. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.04081.x. Epub 2009 Jun 30.
• Background Hofmann AF. The syndrome of ileal disease and the broken enterohepatic circulation: cholerheic enteropathy. Gastroenterology. 1967 Apr;52(4):752-7. No abstract available.
• Background Walters JR, Tasleem AM, Omer OS, Brydon WG, Dew T, le Roux CW. A new mechanism for bile acid diarrhea: defective feedback inhibition of bile acid biosynthesis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Nov;7(11):1189-94. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2009.04.024. Epub 2009 May 6.
• Background Hofmann AF, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA. Chronic diarrhea due to excessive bile acid synthesis and not defective ileal transport: a new syndrome of defective fibroblast growth factor 19 release. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Nov;7(11):1151-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2009.07.026. Epub 2009 Aug 7. No abstract available.
• Background Oelkers P, Kirby LC, Heubi JE, Dawson PA. Primary bile acid malabsorption caused by mutations in the ileal sodium-dependent bile acid transporter gene (SLC10A2). J Clin Invest. 1997 Apr 15;99(8):1880-7. doi: 10.1172/JCI119355.
• Background Montagnani M, Love MW, Rossel P, Dawson PA, Qvist P. Absence of dysfunctional ileal sodium-bile acid cotransporter gene mutations in patients with adult-onset idiopathic bile acid malabsorption. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2001 Oct;36(10):1077-80. doi: 10.1080/003655201750422693.
• Background Makishima M, Okamoto AY, Repa JJ, Tu H, Learned RM, Luk A, Hull MV, Lustig KD, Mangelsdorf DJ, Shan B. Identification of a nuclear receptor for bile acids. Science. 1999 May 21;284(5418):1362-5. doi: 10.1126/science.284.5418.1362.
• Background Inagaki T, Choi M, Moschetta A, Peng L, Cummins CL, McDonald JG, Luo G, Jones SA, Goodwin B, Richardson JA, Gerard RD, Repa JJ, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA. Fibroblast growth factor 15 functions as an enterohepatic signal to regulate bile acid homeostasis. Cell Metab. 2005 Oct;2(4):217-25. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2005.09.001.
• Background Lundasen T, Galman C, Angelin B, Rudling M. Circulating intestinal fibroblast growth factor 19 has a pronounced diurnal variation and modulates hepatic bile acid synthesis in man. J Intern Med. 2006 Dec;260(6):530-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2006.01731.x.
• Background Brydon WG, Nyhlin H, Eastwood MA, Merrick MV. Serum 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one and selenohomocholyltaurine (SeHCAT) whole body retention in the assessment of bile acid induced diarrhoea. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1996 Feb;8(2):117-23. doi: 10.1097/00042737-199602000-00005.
• Background Johnston I, Nolan J, Pattni SS, Walters JR. New insights into bile acid malabsorption. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2011 Oct;13(5):418-25. doi: 10.1007/s11894-011-0219-3.
• Walters JR, Johnston IM, Nolan JD, Vassie C, Pruzanski ME, Shapiro DA. The response of patients with bile acid diarrhoea to the farnesoid X receptor agonist obeticholic acid. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2015 Jan;41(1):54-64. doi: 10.1111/apt.12999. Epub 2014 Oct 20.

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