A Prospective Trial in Patients With Crohn's Disease in Remission and Having Irritable Bowel Syndrome-like Symptoms

NCT ID: NCT06104631

Last Updated: 2025-05-02

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-03-12
• Study Completion Date: 2025-10-31

Brief Summary

Crohn's disease is a chronic and complex inflammatory bowel disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract, causing symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fatigue. While its exact cause is unclear, it involves genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. Crohn's disease can lead to nutrient deficiencies and has unpredictable flare-ups and remission periods. During the remission phases, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms can persist in 50% of patients, for which no satisfactory treatment is available yet.

Chitin-glucan is prebiotic, obtained by extraction, isolation and purification from a fungal resource: the mycelium of Aspergillus niger (a microscopic fungus of the Ascomycetes family) of which it composes the cell walls. The biopolymer consists essentially of two types of polysaccharide chains: chitin (poly-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine) and beta-(1,3)-D-glucan (D-glucose units linked essentially via beta-1,3 bonds). Because of its beta bond, human intestinal enzymes cannot digest it, as a result, the majority of chitin-glucan can reach the colon where it can be fermented by the microbiota.

By modulating the composition and/or activity of the intestinal microbiota, fermentation of chitin-glucan could have beneficial effects on health.

The aim of the RELIEVE study is to assess if BK003 could improve the relief of global symptoms, individual symptoms, stool consistency and frequency of evacuations, quality of life, anxiety, and depression in patients with Crohn's disease in remission without treatment or with stable maintenance therapy and having IBS-like symptoms and to confirm the product's safety.

Conditions

Irritable Bowel Syndrome-like Symptoms; Crohn Disease Remission

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

BK003

Dietary Supplement: BK003 The product is a combination of chitin-glucan and micronutrients. The dose of chitin-glucan is 3 g/day. The product is provided as sachets containing powder to be dissolved in a glass of water (about 250 ml) and taken orally.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

BK003

Intervention Type: OTHER

The product is a combination of chitin-glucan and other dietary complement components. The dosage of chitin-glucan is 3 g/day. The product is a powder for oral administration 1x/day.

Placebo

Dietary Supplement: BK003 placebo The placebo product has the same composition in excipient, same form and same posology as BK003.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: OTHER

The placebo product has the same composition in excipient, same form and same posology as BK003.

Interventions

BK003

The product is a combination of chitin-glucan and other dietary complement components. The dosage of chitin-glucan is 3 g/day. The product is a powder for oral administration 1x/day.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Placebo

The placebo product has the same composition in excipient, same form and same posology as BK003.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Male and female patients aged from 18 years to 75 years,
• Long standing (>3 months prior to V1) steroid-free clinical remission Crohn's disease according to clinical and biochemical assessments,
• Clinical remission (according to the investigator),
• Absence of inflammatory markers at V1,
• Presence of IBS-like symptoms according to Rome IV criteria,
• Likert scale ≥ 3 for abdominal pain at V0,
• Patient with correct and complete reporting of the study questionnaires and scores during the run-in period (≥ 75% completion),
• To continue all medication used in the last month before inclusion at the same dosage,
• Anti-spasmodic, hypomotility agents, probiotics, prebiotics, bile-acid chelators, and anti-depressants are authorized if consumed for longer than 1 month before inclusion and maintained at a stable dosage for the entire study duration,
• Agreeing to maintain their lifestyle behaviours during the participation in the study,
• Patient has read, understood, and signed the informed consent form (ICF),
• Patients capable of communicating with the investigator, replying to the questionnaires, and understanding the requirements and constraints of the study protocol,
• Possession of a digital device (i.e., smartphone or tablet),
• Patient willing to adhere to the study visit schedule and able to understand and comply with protocol requirements and product administration,
• Male or female patient of childbearing potential who agrees to use acceptable methods of birth control (oral, transdermal, systemic contraception, intrauterine device, condom) for the duration of the study,
• Patient can read and write in French.

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients with other concomitant organic gastrointestinal abnormalities besides Crohn's disease: ano-perineal lesions, extra-intestinal manifestations of Crohn's disease, colorectal history of cancer or abdominal radiotherapy, symptomatic intestinal stenosis, substance dependence history,
• Patients with significant comorbidities: instable cardiovascular diseases, complicated diabetes, instable thyroid function,
• Patients receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, opioids, or narcotic analgesics in the last month before V0,
• Patients beginning a diet or a specific treatment for functional symptoms (probiotics, prebiotics, anti spasmodic, chelators, anti-depressants, etc.) within one month before V1,
• Ongoing antibiotics or antibiotics prescribed in the last 2 weeks before V1.
• Excessive alcohol consumption (>30 g/day [i.e., 3 units/day] for men and >20 g/day [i.e., 2 units/day] for women) and/or drug abuse,
• Pregnancy and lactation, or plan to become pregnant during the study period,
• Participation in other studies involving investigational or marketed products concomitantly or less than 3 months prior to V0,
• Known hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients or excipients of the study products,
• Patient who has forfeited their freedom by administrative or legal award, or who is under guardianship or under limited judicial protection.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 75 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Biokuris s.a.

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

CHU Liege - Gastroenterology

Liège, , Belgium

Site Status: RECRUITING

CHU Lille - Gastroenterology

Lille, , France

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Belgium; France

Central Contacts

Salvatore Modica

Role: CONTACT

s.modica@biokuris.com

+32 4 259 85 00

Other Identifiers

BK-IBSLike-2302

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id