Key points from the evidence

Key points from the evidence

The content of this evidence summary was up-to-date in October 2013. See summaries of product characteristics (SPCs), British national formulary (BNF) or the MHRA or NICE websites for up-to-date information.

Summary

The use of colesevelam for bile acid malabsorption is reported in 2 small case series (n=45 and n=5), which found that colesevelam improved diarrhoea and gastrointestinal symptoms in people with this condition. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) found no improvement in outcomes with colesevelam in 24 women with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, 4 of whom had evidence of bile acid malabsorption. However, the study may have been underpowered to detect any differences between the groups. Colesevelam appears to be well tolerated; the most frequent adverse effects are flatulence and constipation.

Regulatory status: off-label

Effectiveness

  • In an RCT in 24 women with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, there was no statistically significant difference in gastric, small bowel and overall colonic transit, or ascending colonic emptying with colesevelam compared with placebo.

  • Colesevelam improved diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal symptoms in 45 people with a diagnosis of cancer and symptoms of bile acid malabsorption.

  • Colesevelam resolved diarrhoea in 5 people with bile acid malabsorption who could not tolerate colestyramine.

Safety

  • According to the summary of product characteristics, the adverse effects of colesevelam include flatulence and constipation, which affect at least 1 in 10 people who take it. Other adverse effects include headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, abnormal stools, nausea and abdominal distension.

  • No patients withdrew from treatment because of adverse effects in the RCT.

  • Out of 45 patients in the larger case series, 5 withdrew from treatment because of adverse effects.

Patient factors

  • Colesevelam is available in tablet form. The other available bile acid sequestrants, colestyramine and colestipol, are powders that require mixing with water or other liquids and may taste unpleasant.

  • Colesevelam may affect the bioavailability of other medicines.

  • Colesevelam may be taken once daily when used to treat hypercholesterolaemia. However, it is unclear whether a once-daily dose is effective for bile acid malabsorption.

Resource implications

  • At the dosage used in the studies, colesevelam currently costs between £0.97 and £2.91 per day.

  • The dosage of colestyramine licensed for the relief of diarrhoea currently costs between £0.65 and £1.29 per day for standard sachets. Sugar-free sachets are more expensive.

  • Colestipol is not currently licensed for bile acid malabsorption. However, the cost is estimated to be between £0.50 and £3.01 per day.

Key points

Colesevelam is a bile acid sequestrant that is licensed by the European Medicines Agency to reduce levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in people with primary hypercholesterolaemia.

This evidence summary describes the efficacy and safety of colesevelam for treating bile acid malabsorption. The use of colesevelam for this indication is off-label.

No RCTs were identified that compared colesevelam with placebo or other treatments in people with bile acid malabsorption. One RCT was identified that compared colesevelam with placebo in 24 women with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, 4 of whom had evidence of bile acid malabsorption. Two case series were identified that reported on the efficacy of colesevelam for bile acid malabsorption.

In a small RCT, Odunsi-Shiyanbade et al. (2010) compared the effects of colesevelam with placebo in 24 women with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Four of the women had raised fasting serum 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (7C4), a marker for bile acid malabsorption. After treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in gastric, small bowel and overall colonic transit, or ascending colonic emptying, with colesevelam compared with placebo. Stool passage was statistically significantly easier in women who received colesevelam compared with women who received placebo. However, it is unclear whether this difference is of clinical importance. There was no difference between the groups in stool frequency or consistency.

Results were not reported separately for the women with evidence of bile acid malabsorption. However, higher baseline fasting serum levels of 7C4 were associated with higher ascending colon half-lives (a marker for reduced colonic transit times; p<0.001) after treatment with colesevelam. The authors suggested that 7C4 levels may predict responsiveness to colesevelam in women with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

In one case series, Wedlake et al. (2009) found that colesevelam improved diarrhoea, frequency and urgency of defecation, steatorrhoea, abdominal pain and faecal incontinence in 45 people with a diagnosis of cancer and symptoms of bile acid malabsorption for 3 months or more. The most common reasons for bile acid malabsorption were pelvic radiotherapy and small-bowel resection or right hemicolectomy. In 30 of these people, symptoms had not responded to previous treatment with another bile acid sequestrant, colestyramine.

In the other case series, Puleston et al. (2005) found that diarrhoea resolved with colesevelam in 5 people with bile acid malabsorption who could not tolerate colestyramine.

The summary of product characteristics for 625 mg colesevelam tablets states that the most frequent adverse effects are flatulence and constipation, which affect at least 1 in 10 people.

In Odunsi-Shiyanbade et al. (2010), the most common adverse effects of colesevelam (reported in between 17 and 40% of people) were headache, flatulence, nausea, lower abdominal cramps and green-coloured stools. The authors state that these adverse effects occurred at similar rates in the placebo group, although the statistical significance of any differences between the groups was not reported. There were no serious adverse events and no women had to stop the study because of an adverse event.

In Wedlake et al. (2009), adverse effects reported with colesevelam included bloating, constipation, heartburn, abdominal pain, flatulence, perianal soreness, weight gain and leg and facial oedema. Each of these adverse effects occurred in 7% or fewer people. Five people (11%) stopped colesevelam because of adverse effects. No adverse effects were seen in the 5 people taking colesevelam in the case series reported by Puleston et al. (2005).

About this evidence summary

'Evidence summaries: unlicensed or off-label medicines' summarise the published evidence for selected unlicensed or off-label medicines that are considered to be of significance to the NHS, where there are no clinically appropriate licensed alternatives. The summaries provide information for clinicians and patients to inform their decision-making and support the construction and updating of local formularies.

The summaries support decision-making on the use of an unlicensed or off-label medicine for an individual patient, where there are good clinical reasons for its use, usually when there is no licensed medicine for the condition requiring treatment, or the licensed medicine is not appropriate for that individual.

The strengths and weaknesses of the relevant evidence are critically reviewed within this summary, but this summary is not NICE guidance.