FDA Announces Approval of Gattex To Treat Short Bowel Syndrome

The Food and Drug Administration Dec. 21, 2012, approved Gattex (teduglutide) to treat adults with short bowel syndrome (SBS) who need additional nutrition from intravenous feeding.

SBS is a condition that results from the partial or complete surgical removal of the small and/or large intestine, the agency said. Extensive loss of the small intestine can lead to poor absorption of fluids and nutrients from food needed to sustain life. As a result, patients with SBS often receive parenteral nutrition.

Gattex, which is marketed by Bedminster, N.J.-based NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc., is an injection administered once daily that helps improve intestinal absorption ...