Dear editor, Dear IBD community
Probiotics are a research focus for many in the IBD research community. This letter concerns the probiotic which has been referred to as VSL#3 in Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis publications. This probiotic is the subject of several ongoing legal disputes in different countries. The plaintiffs claim that the formulation of VSL#3 which has been assessed in studies cited in JCC is different from the formulation of VSL#3 that is currently available on the market.
Although the legal disputes and scientific examinations on this question are still ongoing, ECCO has been obliged by a temporary court injunction not to refer to this probiotic without a clarification note. Thus, ECCO would like to draw the readers’ attention to this issue. Readers should be aware that the formulation of the currently available VSL#3 may not be the same as the VSL#3 that has been scientifically assessed in studies that are subject of JCC articles or that are referenced in JCC articles.
ECCO has made every effort to compile a list of articles that are affected by this issue.1–40 However, this list should not be considered comprehensive and complete.
Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis readers are also reminded to pay attention to the publication date of articles referring to this probiotic. It is discussed and still not resolved in the ongoing legal disputes whether there might have been a change in formulation of VSL#3 starting from the years 2015―2018.
Starting even before this temporary injunction was issued, ECCO already moved in the more recent ECCO Topical Reviews [ECCO Topical Review: Complementary Medicine and Psychotherapy in IBD, and ECCO Topical Review: Refractory Inflammatory Bowel Disease] to a generic description of the strain mixture contained in this probiotic, as follows: ‘A multistrain probiotic containing eight different probiotics [Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus].
ECCO Governing Board at the time of publication
Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet
University Hospital of Nancy, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France
Britta Siegmund
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
Silvio Danese
San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Ailsa Hart
St. Mark’s Hospital, Harrow, London, UK
Fernando Magro
University of Porto and Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal
Janneke van der Woude
Erasmus Medical Center Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Alessandro Armuzzi
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Universita’ Cattolica, Rome, Italy
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© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
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