Naltrexone may help Crohn’s sufferers
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Feb. 5 (UPI) - A U.S. pilot study suggests a low dose of a pharmaceutical used to ease symptoms of drug addiction may also help sufferers of Crohn’s disease.
Researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine suggest a low dose of the drug naltrexone may also bring relief to people with Crohn’s—a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine that affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States.
A team of scientists led by Dr. Jill Smith, a gastroenterologist, and Ian Zagon, a professor of neural and behavioral sciences, received federal funding last summer to initiate the phase 2 trial.
The results indicated 89 percent of patients with diagnosed Crohn’s disease showed an improvement after receiving a low dose of naltrexone for 12 weeks. In addition, 67 percent achieved remission of all symptoms.
The results are detailed online this week in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
