Lausanne hospital produces drug from faecal bacteria

Lausanne hospital produces drug from fecal bacteria Keystone-SDA

In Lausanne, severe intestinal inflammation is treated with pills made from faecal bacteria. The University Hospital of canton Vaud (Chuv) is the first Swiss hospital to receive approval for the production of such drugs from donor stool.

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With the granting of marketing authorisation for faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) by the medicines authority Swissmedic, the hospital will become the first accredited centre in Switzerland, the hospital announced on Monday.

This method involves transplanting the intestinal contents of a donor with healthy bacteria into the damaged intestine of another person. The faecal pills are used to treat intestinal infections with the bacterium Clostridium difficil, a disease that often leads to severe diarrhoea. These infections also have a high relapse rate. According to the Chuv, around one in four patients falls ill again after treatment.

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Effective treatment

The treatment of such infections with a faecal microbiota transplant has proven to be significantly more effective than conventional treatment with antibiotics, according to the university hospital. The cure rate is up to 95% compared to 30% when treated with antibiotics alone.

To produce the medication, Chuv employees collect stool samples from donors and isolate the healthy bacteria in the laboratory.

The selection process for stool donors is strict: only around one in ten potential donors is ultimately accepted, according to the Chuv.

The costs of treatment with such medication are not yet covered by health insurance. According to the University Hospital, an application to this effect has been submitted to the Federal Office of Public Health.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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