Bezlotoxumab prevents CDI recurrence in immunocompromised patients

Treatment with bezlotoxumab results in a significant decrease in recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in a cohort of immunocompromised patients and transplant recipients, reports a study.

“Approximately 25 percent of patients with CDI will experience recurrence, which is greater in immunocompromised patients,” according to the investigators, who reported their experience with an institutional guideline targeting high-risk immunocompromised patients. 

A retrospective cohort of consecutive patients with CDI, who met the institutional criteria for bezlotoxumab due to a high risk of recurrent CDI between 1 June 2017 and 30 November 2018, were included in this analysis.

The investigators then compared recurrent CDI within 12 weeks, the primary endpoint, between patients who received standard of care (SoC) with or without bezlotoxumab.

Of the eligible patients, 23 received bezlotoxumab infusion plus SoC and 30 SoC alone. Eighty-four percent of the patients were immunocompromised, while 54.7 percent were transplant recipients.

CDI recurrence occurred in 13 percent of patients who received bezlotoxumab plus SoC compared with 23.3 percent of those treated with SoC alone. In terms of safety, serious adverse events did not occur in any of the participants.

“Bezlotoxumab was associated with a meaningful reduction in recurrent CDI in this cohort largely comprising immunocompromised and transplant patients,” the investigators said. “Larger studies are warranted to evaluate bezlotoxumab in this population.