Even if you do not have it yourself, you are likely to have heard of one person with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A common factor linking many patients is their gender, with women making up two-thirds of IBS cases, according to experts. While there’s currently no conclusive cause or cure, some doctors are trying out new techniques in a bid to banish the uncomfortable condition. And now, one thinks he may have found the answer to what causes IBS.
Founded in February 2014, 4D Pharma (LON:DDDD) is a world leader in the development of live biotherapeutics, a novel and emerging class of drugs, defined by the FDA as biological products that contain a live organism, such as a bacteria, that is applicable to the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease. 4D has developed a proprietary platform that rationally identifies novel bacteria that have a precise and evolved therapeutic effect. All of 4D’s live biotherapeutic products are orally delivered single strains of bacteria that are naturally found in the healthy human gut. 4D has completed a phase I study in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and has completed dosing in a phase I study in Paediatric Crohn’s Disease. It currently has a pipeline of 13 pre-clinical programmes, covering disease areas such as cancer, poorly controlled asthma, autoimmune and CNS disease, and plans to commence four additional clinical studies in 2018.
