SUCRAID Oral solution Ref.[10369] Active ingredients: Sacrosidase

Congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID) is a chronic, autosomal recessive, inherited, phenotypically heterogeneous disease with very variable enzyme activity. CSID is usually characterized by a complete or almost complete lack of endogenous sucrase activity, a very marked reduction in isomaltase activity, a moderate decrease in maltase activity, and normal lactase levels.

Sucrase is naturally produced in the brush border of the small intestine, primarily the distal duodenum and jejunum. Sucrase hydrolyzes the disaccharide sucrose into its component monosaccharides, glucose and fructose. Isomaltase breaks down disaccharides from starch into simple sugars. Sucraid does not contain isomaltase.

In the absence of endogenous human sucrase, as in CSID, sucrose is not metabolized. Unhydrolyzed sucrose and starch are not absorbed from the intestine and their presence in the intestinal lumen may lead to osmotic retention of water. This may result in loose stools.

Unabsorbed sucrose in the colon is fermented by bacterial flora to produce increased amounts of hydrogen, methane, and water. As a consequence, excessive gas, bloating, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting may occur.

Chronic malabsorption of disaccharides may result in malnutrition. Undiagnosed/untreated CSID patients often fail to thrive and fall behind in their expected growth and development curves. Previously, the treatment of CSID has required the continual use of a strict sucrose-free diet.

CSID is often difficult to diagnose. Approximately 4% to 10% of pediatric patients with chronic diarrhea of unknown origin have CSID. Measurement of expired breath hydrogen under controlled conditions following a sucrose challenge (a measurement of excess hydrogen excreted in exhalation) in CSID patients has shown levels as great as 6 times that in normal subjects.

A generally accepted clinical definition of CSID is a condition characterized by the following: stool pH <6, an increase in breath hydrogen of >10 ppm when challenged with sucrose after fasting and a negative lactose breath test. However, because of the difficulties in diagnosing CSID, it may be warranted to conduct a short therapeutic trial (e.g., one week) to assess response in patients suspected of having CSID.

Clinical studies

A two-phase (dose response preceded by a breath hydrogen phase) double-blind, multi-site, crossover trial was conducted in 28 patients (aged 4 months to 11.5 years) with confirmed CSID. During the dose response phase, the patients were challenged with an ordinary sucrose-containing diet while receiving each of four doses of sacrosidase: full strength (9000 I.U./mL) and three dilutions (1:10 [900 I.U./mL], 1:100 [90 I.U./mL], and 1:1000 [9 I.U./mL]) in random order for a period of 10 days. Patients who weighed no more than 15 kg received 1 mL per meal; those weighing more than 15 kg received 2 mL per meal. The dose did not vary with age or sucrose intake. A dose-response relationship was shown between the two higher and the two lower doses. The two higher doses of sacrosidase were associated with significantly fewer total stools and higher proportions of patients having lower total symptom scores, the primary efficacy end-points. In addition, higher doses of sacrosidase were associated with a significantly greater number of hard and formed stools as well as with fewer watery and soft stools, the secondary efficacy end-points.

Analysis of the overall symptomatic response as a function of age indicated that in CSID patients up to 3 years of age, 86% became asymptomatic. In patients over 3 years of age, 77% became asymptomatic. Thus, the therapeutic response did not differ significantly according to age.

A second study of similar design and execution as the first used 4 different dilutions of sacrosidase: 1:100 (90 I.U./mL), 1:1000 (9 I.U./mL), 1:10,000 (0.9 I.U./mL), and 1:100,000 (0.09 I.U./mL). There were inconsistent results with regards to the primary efficacy parameters.

In both trials, however, patients showed a marked decrease in breath hydrogen output when they received sacrosidase in comparison to placebo.