• Detlef Schuppan, Markku Mäki, Knut E A Lundin, Jorma Isola, Tina Friesing-Sosnik, Juha Taavela, Alina Popp, Jari Koskenpato, Jost Langhorst, Øistein Hovde, Marja-Leena Lähdeaho, Stefano Fusco, Michael Schumann, Helga P Török, Juozas Kupcinskas, Yurdagül Zopf, Ansgar W Lohse, Mika Scheinin, Karin Kull, Luc Biedermann, Valerie Byrnes, Andreas Stallmach, Jørgen Jahnsen, Jonas Zeitz, Ralf Mohrbacher, Roland Greinwald, and CEC-3 Trial Group.
• From the Institute of Translational Immunology and Celiac Center, Research Center for Immune Therapy, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz (D.S., T.F.-S.), the Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, Bamberg (J.L.), the Department of Integrative Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg-Essen (J.L.), the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen (S.F.), the Department of Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases, and Rheumatology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin (M. Schumann), the Department of Medicine II, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (H.P.T.), the Department of Medicine 1, Hector Center for Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen (Y.Z.), the Department of Medicine I, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (A.W.L.), the Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Jena (A.S.), and Dr. Falk Pharma, Freiburg (R.M., R.G.) - all in Germany; the Division of Gastroenterology and Celiac Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston (D.S.); the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital (M.M., A.P., M.-L.L.), the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University (J.I., J.T.), Jilab (J.I.), and the Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital (M.-L.L.), Tampere, the Department of Internal Medicine, Central Finland Central Hospital, Jyväskylä (J.T.), Lääkärikeskus Aava Helsinki Kamppi, Helsinki (J. Koskenpato), and Clinical Research Services Turku, Turku (M. Scheinin) - all in Finland; Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, and Stiftelsen K.G. Jebsen Celiac Disease Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo (K.E.A.L.), the Medical Department, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik (O.H.), and Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog (J.J.) - all in Norway; the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila" and the National Institute for Mother and Child Health "Alessandrescu-Rusescu," Bucharest, Romania (A.P.); the Gastroenterology Department and Institute for Digestive Research, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania (J. Kupcinskas); the Department of Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia (K.K.); the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich (L.B., J.Z.), and the Swiss Celiac Center, Center of Gastroenterology, Clinic Hirslanden (J.Z.) - both in Zurich, Switzerland; and University College Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland (V.B.).
• N. Engl. J. Med. 2021 Jul 1; 385 (1): 35-45.

BackgroundIn celiac disease, small intestinal transglutaminase 2 causes deamidation of glutamine residues in gluten peptides, which enhances stimulation of T cells and leads to mucosal injury. Inhibition of transglutaminase 2 is a potential treatment for celiac disease.MethodsIn a proof-of-concept trial, we assessed the efficacy and safety of a 6-week treatment with ZED1227, a selective oral transglutaminase 2 inhibitor, at three dose levels as compared with placebo, in adults with well-controlled celiac disease who underwent a daily gluten challenge. The primary end point was the attenuation of gluten-induced mucosal damage, as measured by the ratio of villus height to crypt depth. Secondary end points included intraepithelial lymphocyte density, the Celiac Symptom Index score, and the Celiac Disease Questionnaire score (for assessment of health-related quality of life).ResultsOf the 41 patients assigned to the 10-mg ZED1227 group, the 41 assigned to the 50-mg group, the 41 assigned to the 100-mg group, and the 40 assigned to the placebo group, 35, 39, 38, and 30 patients, respectively, had adequate duodenal-biopsy samples for the assessment of the primary end point. Treatment with ZED1227 at all three dose levels attenuated gluten-induced duodenal mucosal injury. The estimated difference from placebo in the change in the mean ratio of villus height to crypt depth from baseline to week 6 was 0.44 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15 to 0.73) in the 10-mg group (P = 0.001), 0.49 (95% CI, 0.20 to 0.77) in the 50-mg group (P<0.001), and 0.48 (95% CI, 0.20 to 0.77) in the 100-mg group (P<0.001). The estimated differences from placebo in the change in intraepithelial lymphocyte density were -2.7 cells per 100 epithelial cells (95% CI, -7.6 to 2.2) in the 10-mg group, -4.2 cells per 100 epithelial cells (95% CI, -8.9 to 0.6) in the 50-mg group, and -9.6 cells per 100 epithelial cells (95% CI, -14.4 to -4.8) in the 100-mg group. Use of the 100-mg dose may have improved symptom and quality-of-life scores. The most common adverse events, the incidences of which were similar across all groups, were headache, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Rash developed in 3 of 40 patients (8%) in the 100-mg group.ConclusionsIn this preliminary trial, treatment with ZED1227 attenuated gluten-induced duodenal mucosal damage in patients with celiac disease. (Funded by Dr. Falk Pharma; CEC-3 EudraCT number, 2017-002241-30.).Copyright © 2021 Massachusetts Medical Society.

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