Digestive Health Celiac Disease Living With Promising Celiac Disease Drugs in the Pipeline By Jane Anderson Jane Anderson Facebook Twitter Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet. Learn about our editorial process Updated on October 22, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Violetta Shamilova, PharmD Medically reviewed by Violetta Shamilova, PharmD Violetta Shamilova, PharmD, is a board-licensed pharmacist. She is an assistant professor at the Touro College School of Health Sciences, and has worked at CVS pharmacy for five years. She completed the certified APhA Delivering Medication Therapy Management Services course. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Right now, the only available treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. But that may soon be changing. Cultura RM Exclusive / Matt Lincoln / Getty Images A number of drug manufacturers are currently conducting clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of a number of novel drug agents. Each has a different approach and mechanism of action (MOA). It is hoped that by inhibiting a process of this disorder, we may one day entirely erase celiac disease from the lexicon of autoimmune illnesses. The most promising candidates in the drug pipeline include the following. INN-202 (Larazotide Acetate) Innovate Pharmaceutical's INN-202 (larazotide acetate) is a drug that uses a potent digestive enzyme that appears to be able to break down gluten before your immune system can react to it. The results of phase II clinical trial were promising and demonstrated that the drug was both safe and tolerable. The drug's MOA both decreases the permeability of the intestines while tempering the movement of autoimmune antigens into the intestines. While INN-202 may greatly reduce the symptoms of celiac disease, it is unlikely that a person will be able to eat unlimited amounts of gluten. Some dietary restriction would still be needed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fast-tracked INN-202. Phase III clinical trials are currently underway. Results of the trial may be available sometime in mid- to late-2021 BL-7010 BL-7010 offers an entirely different approach to treating celiac disease. Rather than targeting the intestines or the autoimmune response, BL-7010 binds to the gluten protein itself and inhibits its ability to be absorbed. BL-7010 is a non-absorptive polymer which is able to conceal gluten from the enzymes that aim to break it down. By achieving this, the immune system is less able to trigger an autoimmune response. The bound gluten and drug would then be expelled from the body in the stool. After having completed Phase I and II trials, the manufacturers took an alternate route and started promoting BL-7010 as a food supplement rather than a pharmaceutical drug. In January 2016, the company received approval for this from the European Union and is currently embarking on clinical efficacy trial under the classification of a Class IIb medical device. A Word From Verywell While promising, it is still unclear whether any of these drugs will make it to market. In the end, any candidate would need to fulfill three promises if they are to be considered viable. They would need to be easily administered, durable, offer reasonable dosing schedules, be well-tolerated, and, most importantly perhaps, be affordable. So there still remains a lot to be answered. But with continued research and greater insights into the mechanisms of the disease, we may soon see a day where we no longer live gluten-free. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Following a gluten-free diet can be challenging. We're here to help. Sign up and receive our free recipe guide for delicious gluten-free meals! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 2 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Larazotide Acetate for the Relief of CeD Symptoms. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Safety and Systemic Exposure Study of BL-7010 in Well-Controlled Celiac Patients.