Jessica R Allegretti, MD, MPH: Preventing Recurrent C Difficile with CP101

Jessica R Allegretti, MD, MPH, FACG, Director of Clinical Research, Director, Fecal Microbiota Transplant Program, Associate Director, Crohn's and Colitis Center, Bringham and Women's Hospital, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, presented her PRISM3 study at the American College of Gastroenterology 2021 conference.

The study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that included adults who received standard-of-care for recurrent clostridioides difficile infection (CDI).

Cp101 is an investigational orally administered microbiome therapeutic designed to restore microbiome diversity and enable early intervention in the management of recurrent CDI, according to the study.

Last year at ACG, Allegretti presented data showing that CP101 was significant at preventing recurrent CDI at week 8 post-therapy. This year, Allegretti explained, they looked at microbial diversity.

"It's extremely important in today's age to develop new safe microbiome therapeutics for C diff," Allegretti said.

The next step for CP101 is going to be a large phase 3 study, PRISM4, which should be enrolling later this year.

According to Allegretti, antibiotic stewardship is one of the best tools that clinicians have to fight CDI, which has risen to epidemic levels. CP101 isn't the only CDI treatment in development.

Several companies are working on novel live biotherapeutic products. FMT is effective and safe but it's not viable long-term. Allegretti shared how exciting it is to have multiple treatments in development that are already showing promising results.

"I think it's a really great time to be working in this space," Allegretti said.