IBD

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to two diseases - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - both characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic and recurring autoimmune conditions. Researchers believe that these conditions occur when the body's immune system becomes overreactive to microbes in the GI tract, such as bacteria normally found in the intestines for digestion, and mount a destructive inflammatory response.

ChemoCentryx is developing Traficet-EN™ (CCX282) to be a first-in-class anti-inflammatory small molecule therapeutic for the treatment of IBD, with an initial focus on Crohn's disease. In 2008, Crohn's disease affected an estimated 672,000 patients in the United States, Western Europe and Japan. Crohn's disease can occur at any age, but is more often diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 35 and requires lifelong treatment.

Crohn's disease patients suffer from considerable lifestyle disruption and disability as a direct result of the disease. Patients typically experience flare-ups, or periods characterized by intense symptoms, interspersed with periods of remission where symptoms decrease or disappear. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and can include persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and rectal bleeding, as well as loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss. Ulcerative lesions associated with the disease can, on occasion, completely penetrate the bowel wall, leading to painful fistula formation, or an abnormal break or opening in the bowel wall, which can cause infectious complications that require surgical intervention.

Current treatments for Crohn's disease are directed toward bringing a patient's active disease, or acute flares, under control or into remission. The initial induction therapy is often followed by chronic maintenance therapy to preserve the remission or to keep disease manifestations at a minimal level. There is no cure for Crohn's disease, and existing treatments have varying levels of efficacy, can be expensive and may have significant side effects.

Traficet-EN is intended to control the inappropriate inflammatory response underlying IBD by targeting the CCR9 chemokine receptor. ChemoCentryx is initially developing Traficet-EN for the induction of clinical response or remission in moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease and hopes to extend the drug's indication to include maintenance of remission. Subsequent studies will examine the drug in ulcerative colitis and other GI indications thought to be mediated by CCR9 positive inflammatory cells. Traficet-EN will be orally administered as a capsule and dosed once or twice daily.

Patients seeking additional information or resources regarding IBD may wish to refer to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America website.

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