Gut health innovation: Microbio spotlights MS-20 postbiotic for ulcerative colitis relief

A new clinical trial by Microbio Co. has found that consuming the company’s MS-20 gut health ingredient alongside ulcerative colitis medication gives patients greater symptom relief. The postbiotic is produced through symbiotic fermentation by multi-strain probiotics and was initially approved to alleviate chemotherapy side effects. 

When used as an additional therapy next to Keytruda, an ulcerative colitis medication, 83.3% of patients achieved clinical remission at week 12, compared to 35.7% in the placebo group.

This 47.6% difference was statistically significant. Dr. Wan-Jiun Chen, executive VP of R&D at Microbio, says: “These results suggest that MS-20 enhances the effectiveness of existing treatments and accelerates the treatment response, achieving significant remission within the first four weeks. This may help patients resume normal activities sooner.”

Chen notes that while ulcerative colitis is more prevalent in Western countries such as Europe and the US, its incidence is rising in Asia, particularly among adult men.

Current treatments for mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis include 5-aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, or combinations with immunomodulators, while biologics are added for moderate-to-severe cases.

However, Chen stresses that challenges remain, such as poor disease control and high recurrence rates, which necessitate surgical resection in 10–20% of cases. “The human gut microbiota has been recognized as a key factor in the onset and treatment of ulcerative colitis,” he highlights.

Accelerating clinical remission

These findings follow Microbio’s recent announcement of a clinical trial evaluating MS-20 in combination with Keytruda for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

This trial showed a threefold increase in the objective response rate with MS-20 and Keytruda (75%), including a complete response rate of 12.5%, compared to 25% for Keytruda alone.

Additionally, median progression-free survival has not yet been reached in the MS-20-Keytruda group, whereas it was 4.5 months with Keytruda alone.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at four medical centers. Thirty ulcerative colitis patients were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either MS-20 or a placebo for 12 weeks, both in combination with current ulcerative colitis medications.

The primary outcome was clinical remission, allowing patients to return to normal life.

“The average ulcerative colitis history of participants was 4.6 years. In addition to the significant improvement in the primary outcome — clinical remission at 12 weeks — the clinical remission rate at four weeks was already 58.3% in the MS-20 plus current medications group, compared to just 7.1% in the placebo plus current medications group,” says Chen.

After 12 weeks of treatment, 91.7% of people taking MS-20 with their medications had little to no diarrhea and no rectal bleeding. In the placebo group, only 50% of those taking placebo with their medications experienced the same outcome. This difference was statistically significant.

“This trial demonstrated that MS-20 can reshape the gut microbiota, repair the gut epithelial barrier, and suppress intestinal inflammation — overcoming the limitations of conventional therapies to help manage ulcerative colitis and significantly enhance patients’ quality of life,” concludes Chen.

Microbio continues to conduct rigorous clinical trials evaluating MS-20 in combination with existing medications for immunological and gastrointestinal diseases.