A new drug called infrexin is showing promise as a targeted treatment for IBD. Clinical trials have shown a 62% remission rate, which is impressive. However, there are some concerning side effects, including vivid hallucinations, some of which involve seeing dead relatives. The FDA and Cygen Pharmaceuticals are taking these side effects seriously, but the drug is still on the market because the benefits outweigh the risks, which are statistically rare. The hallucinations may be linked to the drug's impact on the gut-brain axis and the activation of existing memories and emotions. More research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind these hallucinations. Patients on infrexin should not panic and should consult their doctors about any concerns. The hallucinations have sparked interest due to the emotional and existential nature of seeing dead relatives. The situation raises questions about the balance between potential benefits and risks in cutting-edge medicine.
All right, so you brought in a stack of articles today, and honestly, this infrequent thing, it's a bit of a doozy. Definitely not our usual deep dive. Yeah, no kidding. It's a weird one for sure. So we're talking about this drug for IBD, Crohn's, colitis, that kind of thing, right? Right. And at first, everyone's calling it a miracle cure, which, I mean, you've lived with IBD, you know how huge that is. Oh, absolutely. Anything that could actually fix it, not just mask the symptoms, that is- Exactly.
That's why everyone's so excited. In the clinical trials, 62% remission rate. That's unheard of for IBD. Wow. Okay, so what's the catch? Because you said doozy earlier, and those articles definitely raise some eyebrows. Well, there are side effects, and not the usual upset stomach kind. We're talking hallucinations, vivid ones. Okay, so that's what caught my eye in these articles, hallucinations. And not just any hallucinations, but like- People seeing their dead relative. Yeah. That's the kicker. So we've got FDA alerts, scientific studies, and then these almost spooky anecdotes from patients.
It's a lot to unpack. So where do you want to start? Well, back up a sec. Before we get to the creepy stuff, how does this infrexin even work? What makes it so different from other IBD drugs? Okay, so most IBD drugs, they basically just suppress your entire immune system, which, as you can imagine- Comes with its own set of problems. Exactly. But infrexin is way more targeted. So, Cygen Pharmaceuticals, they developed it, and they figured out a way to zero in on the specific inflammatory pathways in the gut.
So instead of a sledgehammer, it's more like a scalpel. Perfect analogy. And that's why those clinical trial results were so impressive. 62% remission with infrexin versus 25% with a placebo. That's a game changer. No wonder Cygen was popping champagne corks. Right. This is their golden ticket. Finally, a drug that could really make a difference for IBD patients. Okay. So, amazing breakthrough. Everyone's excited, and then the hallucinations start. Yeah, and it gets weirder while a lot of the more, let's say, colorful articles focus on the seeing dead people thing.
Which is hard to ignore, by the way. Totally. But the official stuff, like the FDA alerts, and even Exigen's statements, they mention vivid hallucinations, but they never actually come out and say dead relatives. Really? That's kind of sus, don't you think? Are they trying to downplay it? Maybe. Or maybe they just don't know what to make of it. Either way, it adds a whole other layer of strange to this whole thing. Right. And then you add on top of that, those anonymous Exigen scientists claiming that there were already concerns about neurological effects before the drug even hit the market.
What you got to say is a whole other can of worms. We've got to be careful there, though. We don't have proof of those claims yet. True. But it does make you wonder, how do you balance this potential for helping people with the risk of something going really wrong? It's the classic dilemma, right? Especially with a drug like this that's shown so much promise. Of course you want to get it out there fast. People are suffering.
Right. Absolutely. But at the same time, you don't want to put people at risk if you don't have to. So where does that leave us? With a lot of questions, that's for sure. And some seriously creepy hallucinations to explain. So how rare are these hallucinations, really? Is this something people taking infection should actually be worried about? Well, if we're going by the numbers, the clinical trial data itself, it actually gives us a pretty clear picture. Right.
We said 0.6% of participants in those trials experienced hallucinations, but, you know, percentages. Sometimes they're hard to wrap your head around. What does that actually mean for someone taking this drug? It means that statistically speaking for every, let's see, roughly every 167 patients treated with infrexin, you'd expect to see one case of these hallucinations. So you're saying it's more likely I'll win the lottery than have a spooky infrexin vision? Statistically. Pretty much. Yeah. You'd have better luck.
You're more likely to get hit by lightning, actually. But and this is key, even though it's statistically rare. It's still happening. And not just to like one or two people. Exactly. And what's even wilder is that the study documents, they show that none of the patients who had these hallucinations actually stopped taking infrexin because of them. Really? So they're like, yeah, I saw my grandma, but my gut feels amazing. Pretty much. It seems like in most cases, they were able to manage the hallucinations either by adjusting the dosage or taking a short break from the drug.
Okay. So that's good, I guess. But it still doesn't explain how a drug that's supposed to work in your gut, you know, ends up messing with your brain like this. Right. That's the million dollar question. And honestly, we don't have a definitive answer yet. But there are some pretty fascinating theories starting to emerge, all centered around this thing called the gut brain axis. Wait. The gut brain axis. Yeah. It's this like superhighway of communication between your gut and your central nervous system.
Basically, your gut and your brain, they talk. Okay. So it's not just like a saying that your gut affects your mood and stuff. Nope. It's a real thing. And the thinking is that infrexin, because it targets these very specific inflammatory pathways in the gut, it might be, I don't know, accidentally messing with the messages going back and forth on that highway. So it's like infrexin is calming down the inflammation, which is great. But then maybe it's also like, I don't know, changing lanes on the highway without telling anyone and suddenly your brain's getting all these weird signals.
That's a great way to put it, actually. It's like infrexin is rerouting traffic in your nervous system and your brain's just trying to make sense of it all. Okay. But why hallucinations then? And why specifically dead relatives? If our gut and brain are having this whole conversation, why aren't people seeing, like, I don't know, talking to hamburgers or something? Right. Well, that's where it gets even more interesting. There's this theory that maybe infrexin is somehow tapping into the parts of the brain that deal with memory, emotions, particularly stuff related to, well, loss and grief.
So it's not that infrexin is creating these hallucinations out of thin air, but maybe it's like turning up the volume on existing memories or feelings that are already there, just buried. Exactly. It might be activating something that's already there, especially those memories tied to people we've lost. Okay. That's both incredibly cool and also kind of creepy. But you said theory, right? Like, we don't actually know for sure yet. Not for sure. It's still early days research wise.
We need a lot more study to understand exactly how infrexin is interacting with the brain, why these hallucinations are happening and why they're so specific. So basically we've got this drug that might be a miracle cure for some people, but it's also potentially messing with the very fabric of our reality and we have no idea why. Sounds about right. Welcome to the world of cutting edge medicine, right? Always more questions than answers. So we've got this medical mystery on our hands and I got to say, I'm a little torn.
On one hand, infrexin seems like it could be a game changer for IBD, but then there's this whole hallucination thing. What's the FDA saying about all this? Should people be hitting the panic button? Well, they're definitely keeping a close eye on it. They've issued alerts to both patients and doctors, so they're taking it seriously and trying to get information out there quickly. Okay. That's reassuring, I guess. But they haven't pulled infrexin from the market, right? What does that tell us? I think it indicates that, at least for the time being, the FDA still believes that the benefits of infrexin, especially for people who haven't had success with other treatments, outweigh the risks.
And those risks, it's important to emphasize, are still statistically rare. Right. That is a good point. So for someone listening right now who's on infrexin and maybe freaking out a little bit, what's our advice to them? Don't panic, first of all, and don't stop taking the medication without talking to your doctor. Talk to them about your medical history, your specific situation, and they can help you weigh the potential benefits against any concerns you might have about these side effects.
Solid advice. So what about CyGEN? Have they said anything beyond acknowledging these side effects are a thing? They put out a statement, pretty standard corporate speak, you know, we're committed to safety, we're investigating all that. But they're really hammering home the point that these hallucinations are super rare. Trying to downplay it a bit, maybe? Perhaps. It's interesting, though, isn't it? You have to wonder if people were reporting hallucinations of, I don't know, pink elephants or something, would it be getting this much attention? Probably not.
It's the whole dead relative thing that's really captured everyone's imagination, right? It taps into something much deeper. Exactly. We're talking about something that really gets the heart of who we are, our relationships, our beliefs about life and death. It's unsettling, for sure, but it's also incredibly thought provoking. It really is. We came into this deep dive thinking we'd be talking about a new treatment for IBD, and now we're having these mind-bending conversations about consciousness, the nature of reality.
It's wild. And that's the thing about science and medicine, right? There's always more to discover, there's an infrequent mystery. It's like we've stumbled onto a whole new territory, a place where the gut, the brain, and maybe even something beyond are all interconnected in ways we never imagined. We might not have all the answers yet, but I have a feeling this is just the beginning. I think you're right. And maybe, just maybe, this is bigger than just infrequent.
Maybe this is the key that unlocks a deeper understanding of the human experience itself. Who knows? But one thing's for sure. We're going to need to keep asking questions, keep exploring, and keep that sense of wonder if we want to find out. Couldn't have said it better myself. And on that note, we'll leave you all to ponder the mysteries of the gut-brain axis, the nature of reality, and of course, the curious case of infrequency. Until next time, keep those minds curious, and we'll see you on the next Deep Dive.
