Oral ingestion of a mixture of three probiotics developed by Biopolis helps reduce the use of topical steroids in patients with atopic dermatitis. It is the main conclusion of a clinical study carried out in 50 patients between 4 and 17 years old by this biotechnologist located in University of Valencia Science Park. The work is published in the international medical journalJAMA Dermatology.
The results of the research show "how the treatment based on this mix of three probiotics, supplied in a capsule as a supplement, has an enormous benefit in reducing the SCORAD index", has underlined Daniel Ramón, CEO of Biopolis and director of I + D in the Bioactive Unit of Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), the American food company that owns the company.
Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) is the index with which the different types of atopic dermatitis are evaluated. This disease affects 20% of the child population worldwide. And the treatment of their cutaneous manifestations, in the mild and moderate levels, is based on topical corticosteroids. For this reason, the objective of Biopolis with this research was to strain on SCORAD of the patients as well as to determine the efficacy of this mixture of probiotics in reducing the percentage of days of treatment with topical steroids during a moderate outbreak.
Vicente Navarro-López, doctor at the University Hospital of Vinalopó-Elche, was responsible for conducting the double-blind clinical trial at the Centro Dermatológico Estético of Alicante (Spain). After 12 weeks the patients who took the probiotic mixture showed a drastic reduction in the use of topical corticosteroids compared to the group that had taken placebo.
Tremendous potential
“These results illustrate the tremendous potential of probiotics used in this study to really make a difference to the quality of life for these young AD patients,” said Daniel Ramón Vidal, who continued: “This study was directed at children with moderate atopic dermatitis, and given the success and positive results we’ve seen, we are now planning future studies amongst children with both mild and severe atopic dermatitis, as well as in adults with similar symptoms to continue to evaluate the potential of this mixture".