Wesley Medical Research excited by Australian launch of Phase 2 Coeliac Vaccine
ImmusanT has announced it will be launching Phase 2 Nexvax2® trial in Australia, for the treatment of coeliac disease. Coeliac Australia has acknowledged their support for the vaccine trial and Dr James Daveson, Gastroenterologist and member of Coeliac Australia Medical Advisory Committee, is one of the lead Australian investigators. This trial is designed to demonstrate protection against inadvertent exposure to gluten.
“This trial is important to establish a potential treatment beyond that of the gluten-free diet” said Dr James Daveson. “Avoiding gluten is challenging and not always effective.”
In addition to his involvement with Nexvax2®, Dr James Daveson has been working with Wesley Medical Research to advance diagnostic and management techniques including the coeliac pin prick test. The test could lead to simpler, faster diagnosis – an important step in preventing further complications from the auto-immune disease which is triggered by gluten.
Wesley Medical Research has been focused is coeliac research and is excited about this new treatment pathway for patients.
Clinical Trials Manager at Wesley Medical Research, Dr Jennifer Schafer said “We are honoured to be working alongside Dr Daveson to develop a better understanding of the auto-immune disease. We have a number of research trials focused on early diagnosis and we are thrilled at the announcement of the Nexvax2® trial in Australia. “
Coeliac disease affects on average approximately 1 in 70 Australians. However, around 80% of this number remain undiagnosed. This means the vast majority of Australians who have coeliac disease don’t yet know it.
The only intervention currently available is a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD). While GFD reduces intestinal inflammation, even minute amounts of gluten can still trigger an immune reaction with symptoms that can be more pronounced than before GFD was adopted. GFD also imposes a significant burden, negatively affects the quality of life, and can be difficult to follow since even minute amounts can trigger an immune reaction.
Wesley Medical Research is currently seeking expressions of interest for participants in clinical trials investigating new treatments for coeliac disease. For more information or to register your interest, please click here.
