Guest guest Posted April 5, 2000 Report Share Posted April 5, 2000 FEAT DAILY NEWSLETTER Sacramento, California http://www.feat.org " Healing Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet " _____________________________________________________ News to: FEAT@... Search: http://www.feat.org/search/news.htm <<New>> Autism Questions: mailto:info@... Repligen Starts Phase II of “Largest” Secretin Trial / Irish Times Letter / DC Aut Radio [secretin trials largest clinical trial in autism to be conducted at four US sites. From a company press release.] http://www.repligen.com Repligen Corporation announced last week it has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with the hormone secretin in children with autism. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study will involve up to 140 autistic children aged 3 to 6. After extensive documentation of their autistic and gastrointestinal symptoms, each patient will receive three treatments and a thorough follow-up evaluation over a 10-week period. The primary objective of the study is to determine if secretin improves the social and communicative deficits of autism. These symptom changes will be evaluated with multiple assessment tools including video taping of structured play sessions, clinical and parent evaluations using accepted tools and a daily diary of symptoms. A secondary objective is to assess changes in the patients' gastrointestinal symptoms following treatment. The trial will include an endoscopic examination of the gastrointestinal tract for patients for whom this evaluation is deemed appropriate. The Phase II trial sites will include the Mayo Clinic, the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Southwest Autism Research Center in collaboration with Phoenix Children's Hospital. The study is expected to be completed by year's end. Repligen has also initiated a significant research effort to better understand the biology of secretin and its mechanism of action in autistic patients. Analysis of patient samples to date has demonstrated physiological changes in some children treated with secretin. Similar analyses will be conducted on patients enrolled in the clinical trial which will be correlated with changes in autism symptomatology. " We believe this to be the largest and most comprehensive clinical trial ever carried out in autism, " commented Walter C. Herlihy, Ph.D., President and CEO of Repligen. " By correlating changes in physiology with changes in the symptoms of autism, we hope to define the biological characteristics associated with response to secretin. " Secretin is currently approved by the FDA to diagnose gastrinoma and assess pancreatic function. Anecdotal reports from " off-label " use of secretin in pediatric autism suggest that it may improve both physiological and behavioral symptoms associated with autism, a disorder characterized by severely impaired communication, social skills and development. There are no drugs currently approved for the treatment of autism. SUBSCRIBE (NO COST) TO FEAT's Daily Newsletter: Each day we collect autism features and news as it breaks. To Subscribe (or unsubscribe): http://www.feat.org/FEATNews * * * Letter on MMR/Vaccinations: The Irish Times http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/letters/2000/0404/index.htm#6 Sir, - Niall Dollard (March 25th) is incorrect on several issues regarding MMR vaccination. DTP is a triple component vaccine just like MMR. There is absolutely no evidence linking wild measles, mumps or rubella virus to autism. The dilute, weakened measles, mumps and rubella vaccine viruses do not cause autism. The temporal association between the administration of MMR vaccine in the second year of life and the onset of autism at this time in no way proves cause an effect. Autism is a very profound disorder with a strong genetic component. Mr Dollard should read the February 2000 issue of Scientific American, which carries an important article on the origins of autism. - Yours, etc., Denis G. Gill Professor of Paediatrics Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, St 's Green, Dublin 2. * * * DC Radio on Autism Tomorrow Wednesday, WAMU/NPR 88.5 FM will have the following on the Diane Rehm show at 10:00 am: http://www.wamu.org/drhi.html Autism is the name given to a group of related, complex developmental disorders that typically affect communication and social interaction skills. Diane and her guests discuss the latest research being done into the causes of and treatments for autism, and talk about the challenges faced by families of autistic children *** WHY YOU MAY WANT TO ********************************************** Rally for National Autism Awareness April 8, 2000 Open Your Eyes to Autism & Hear~Their~Silence www.littleangels.org www.ark-inc.org ********************************************** ____________________________________________________________ Editor: Lenny Schafer | Eastern Editor: | News Wire: Ron Sleith schafer@... | PhD | <<NEW>> Autism News Talk list - mailto:FEATBack-subscribeonelist ____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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