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The primary endpoint of the study was clinical cure defined as patients requiring no further CDI therapy two days after completion of study medication, as determined by the investigator. The secondary endpoint evaluated CDI recurrence up to four weeks post therapy with recurrence defined as the return of diarrhea associated with CDI confirmed by a positive toxin test. Global cure was defined as patients who were cured and did not have a recurrence.
About Clostridium Difficile Infection
CDI has become a growing problem in hospitals, long-term care facilities and in the community. It is a serious illness caused by infection of the inner lining of the colon by C. difficile bacteria, which produce toxins that cause inflammation of the colon, severe diarrhea and, in the most serious cases, death. CDI typically develops from the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics that disrupt normal gastrointestinal (gut) flora, allowing C. difficile bacteria to flourish.
Current therapeutic options for CDI include metronidazole and oral vancomycin. However, approximately 20% to 30% of CDI patients who initially respond to these treatments experience a clinical recurrence following cessation of antibiotic administration.
Primary risk factors for CDI include broad-spectrum antibiotic use, advanced age (over 65), emerging hyper-virulent strains (BI /NAP1/027, 078, 001) of C. difficile, and previous exposure to CDI that lead to recurrence. Higher incidence, increased treatment failures, and recurrence with standard therapies have resulted in greater awarene
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