Celiac disease vax has positive Ph1 results

Sufferers from celiac disease may get a reprieve from their gluten-free diets thanks to a vaccine currently in Phase I trials. But the vaccine won't go into Phase II until next year at the earliest, and most likely won't be available to the public until 2017.

In an Australian study, patients receiving weekly doses of ImmusanT's Nexvax2 while on a strict gluten-free diet showed symptoms similar to those of eating gluten. Scientists say this shows they are targeting the right peptides that could help sufferers eventually tolerate gluten.

"The gluten free diet is very difficult, it's costly, it's complex," said Dr. Jason Tye-Din to Dietsinreview. "Unfortunately even people who follow it very well--there's a large proportion who still don't get full healing of their bowel, so alternatives to the gluten free diet are really needed at the moment."

Researchers hope the vaccine will enter Phase II trials early next year, and they believe the vaccine could treat up to 90 percent of celiac disease patients.

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