More Than a Third of Surveyed IBS-C Patients Reported That Their Symptoms Worsened During COVID-19 According to New Survey Findings Presented by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW)

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD), a GI-focused healthcare company, presented new findings at the Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2021 virtual meeting from a survey highlighting disease burden and care-seeking behavior among adult patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The poster presentation, titled Disease Burden and Care-Seeking Behavior for IBS-C Patients in the United States in the Era of COVID-19 (presentation number Fr014), summarized data from a cross-sectional online general health survey of 130 adults with IBS-C conducted from August through October 2020. More than a third of surveyed IBS-C patients indicated their symptoms had worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, nearly a quarter reported cancelling healthcare visits due to COVID-19. Also, nearly half (46%) of surveyed IBS-C patients reported that they did not seek care from a healthcare provider in the past year for their symptoms.

“As a physician, my biggest takeaway from this survey is that while IBS-C patients’ symptoms have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are unfortunately not speaking with their doctors, and hence the disease continues to have a wide impact despite availability of prescription treatment options,” said Brian E. Lacy, M.D., Ph.D., Gastroenterology, Neurogastroenterology, the Mayo Clinic. “It is critical for patients to recognize they have a legitimate medical condition that needs treatment and to take that step of speaking with their physician – either in person or through a telehealth appointment.”

Other key findings from the survey, which was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Mayo Clinic, the Acumen Health Research Institute and the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, include:

• Surveyed IBS-C patients reported a significantly higher proportion of moderate-to-severe anxiety and depression and significantly lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) than surveyed patients without IBS-C.
• Absenteeism and presenteeism were also significantly higher among surveyed IBS-C patients versus those without IBS-C.
• 25% of surveyed IBS-C patients reported currently taking a prescription medication whereas 68.5% reported currently taking an OTC for their IBS-C symptoms.
• Most common bothersome symptoms in the past seven days included abdominal discomfort, abdominal pain, straining, abdominal bloating and incomplete bowel movements.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals also presented six other posters at the meeting, four of which were posters of distinction. These include findings from the “National GI Survey II,” a separate survey of nearly 90,000 Americans, as well as pre-clinical data on the impact of the guanylate cyclase (GC-C) agonist linaclotide on visceral hypersensitivity, which is believed to play a key role in IBS-C.¹

"The data at DDW spotlight a harsh reality, which is that GI diseases continue to be widely prevalent and exact a vast burden on patients in the United States, creating a significant medical need,” said Mike Shetzline, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer, senior vice president and head of drug development at Ironwood. “Ironwood is committed to understanding these diseases at both a clinical and pathological level in order to advance scientific knowledge on how to address them. An example is our focus on the science of visceral hypersensitivity, which causes increased pain originating from internal organs. Our strong preclinical data suggest that GC-C agonists may play a role in addressing this huge medical problem, and we look forward to exploring the potential of this class of therapeutics in addressing visceral pain conditions.”

Results from “National GI Survey II”

In a series of three posters, Christopher Almario, M.D., MSHPM, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, presented findings from the National GI Survey II – a nationwide audit of GI symptoms in nearly 90,000 adult Americans, which was conducted from May to June 2020. The survey was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Cedars-Sinai and the University of Michigan.

• A poster titled Prevalence and Burden of Illness of Rome IV Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the U.S. (poster of distinction; presentation number Su085) showed that Rome IV-positive IBS is more prevalent (7.4%) compared to prior estimates (approximately 5%). The authors noted that additional research is needed to understand if this higher prevalence is in part related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as social distancing may have levied a psychological toll on many individuals, leading to alterations in the gut-brain axis and a propensity to either develop IBS or gain greater awareness of symptoms. The poster also noted that people with IBS commonly experience other symptoms on top of their cardinal IBS symptoms. Those with IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D) or mixed IBS (IBS-M) were more likely to report excess gas, heartburn, regurgitation, nausea/vomiting, pelvic pain or bowel incontinence versus those with IBS-C, but symptom severity scores for abdominal pain were largely similar among groups. 73.8% of IBS patients reported that they had ever sought care for their cardinal IBS symptoms (abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea), 19.4% had ever sought care via telehealth, and 59.7% had sought care in the past 12 months. Those with IBS-D and IBS-M were less likely to have sought care versus those with IBS-C.