VIDEO: COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges to FMT therapy
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In this exclusive video, Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, director of the fecal microbiota center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discusses how FMT has transformed treatment in a number of GI conditions.
Allegretti won the Clinical Innovation Award at the 2020 Disruptive Innovator awards. Healio Gastroenterology presents the awards to physicians who push the boundaries of medicine and care to better the field of gastroenterology and liver diseases. Allegretti was honored for her research in FMT.
Allegretti said that FMT has become an important treatment for many GIs despite its lack of FDA approval.
“We have to discuss that it is still experimental with our patients, even though many of us are doing this on a routine, clinical basis because of its high efficacy rate,” Allegretti said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a whole new set of challenges for FMT therapy. Allegretti said FMT has become very difficult to do in the setting of the pandemic because of a lack of regulations, and because it has become much harder to obtain donor material.
“It’s extremely important that we continue to advocate for our patients,” Allegretti said. “This therapy does work, it is very safe and it really should be offered.”
Allegretti recently published a book along with co-author, Zain Kassam, MD, MPH, titled 6 Ds of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: A Primer from Decision to Discharge and Beyond.
“It should really answer all of your questions on how, and why, and when we should be doing this procedure,” Allegretti said.
The book is currently available on SlackBooks.com, where you can use code “AU20” for 20% off and free shipping.
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