Lexington, Mass.-based Cubist Pharmaceuticals presented new phase 1 data demonstrating an antibiotic's potential to treat Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.
The preliminary findings, presented at Infectious Disease Week 2014, look at the efficacy of Dificid (fidaxomicin) in children. The drug is currently approved for adults, according to a Boston Business Journal report.
The patients in this preliminary study were between 11 months and 17 years old and had some sort of underlying chronic illness, such as cancer (23.7 percent) and gastrointestinal disorders (78.9 percent).
The observed clinical response was 92.1 percent.
While 73.7 percent of patients reported at least one adverse event, most of them were categorized as mild (44.7 percent) or moderate (21.1 percent), according to a Cubist news release.
"This study supports the further evaluation of fidaxomicin in children with C. difficile-associated diarrhea," said Pam Sears, vice president of clinical sciences. "As CDAD is most often observed in adults, there is much less information known about the pediatric presentation of the disease, and we are excited to present the results of our first study on the treatment of CDAD in children."
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