Daewoong’s Ursa confirmed effective in preventing gallstone formation

[Courtesy of Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co.]

South Korea’s Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. announced on Friday that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), the main ingredient of its liver function improvement drug Ursa, has been confirmed effective for the prevention of gallstone formation in gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy.

UDCA is known for improving gallbladder motility and reducing cholesterol saturation in bile, preventing gallstone formation.

The research finding was presented by Dr. Lee Sang-hyub, a gastroenterologist at Seoul National University Hospital, at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference taking place in Washington D.C. this week.

In a phase 4 study of gastric cancer patients who had undergone gastrectomy at least five years ago, the researchers found that the UDCA group had a significantly lower rate of gallstone formation than the placebo group, the company said.

Patients treated with 600 mg UDCA had a gallstone formation rate of 10.56 percent at 60 months and 11.01 percent and 12.83 percent at 72 and 80 months, respectively. The placebo group had a gallstone formation rate of 21.89 percent at 60 months, 22.77 percent at 72 months, and 26.21 percent at 80 months.

The research team said the study demonstrated that UDCA for one year after gastrectomy can provide long-term gallstone prevention.