Stelara Approval Expands; Good News in Celiac Disease; Curcumin for Adenomas

The FDA said it expanded approval of the interleukin (IL)-12/23 antagonist ustekinumab (Stelara) to include treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in children as young as 2 years.

Using pooled data from phase III trials in ulcerative colitis, a post hoc analysis suggested vedolizumab (Entyvio) can improve bowel urgency symptoms. (Gastro Hep Advances)

More patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may have primary sclerosing cholangitis at diagnosis than previously thought. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

Across various IBD therapies, an increased risk of serious infections coincided with when patients were taking concomitant corticosteroids, a propensity score-matched analysis found. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

Serum levels of REG3α, already used as a biomarker in graft-versus-host disease, could indicate higher risk of tough-to-treat Crohn’s disease, even before diagnosis. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

A placebo-controlled phase II study of Teva Pharmaceutical’s IL-15 blocker for celiac disease met its primary endpoint of reducing gluten-induced intestinal damage, the company announced.

In a Dutch cohort study, the routine implementation of an established multi-strain probiotic for preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit was associated with a 50% reduction in necrotizing enterocolitis cases, though no change in mortality. (JAMA Network Open)

The investigational IL-13 blocker cendakimab reduced mean peak gastrointestinal eosinophil counts in patients with eosinophilic gastritis or duodenitis, a Japanese phase III trial showed. (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

A meta-analysis backed the accuracy of the capsule-sponge Trefoil-factor-3 noninvasive test for diagnosing Barrett’s esophagus in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

Curcumin following colorectal neoplasia resection failed to reduce the incidence of adenoma recurrence but appeared to slow the growth of new lesions, according to a randomized trial. (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

Three-hour fasting as recommended for vibration-controlled transient elastography may not suffice for patients on GLP-1 agonists, a small study suggested. (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

Research in Gastro Hep Advances linked food insecurity in the U.S. to increased mortality from gastrointestinal tract and liver diseases, including some cancers.

A fourth-grade teacher in Texas created a “fart corner” for her students after noticing the kids were embarrassed to pass gas in front of each other. (People)