Methods of treating hepatic encephalopathy
AssigneeSalix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Forbes, Kunal Merchant, Enoch Bortey, Audrey Shaw
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Abstract
The application describes treatment of hepatic encephalopathy using gastrointestinal specific antibiotics. One example of a gastrointestinal specific antibiotic is rifaximin. The instant application also provides methods for determining if a subject has a neurological condition or hepatic encephalopathy by determining the critical flicker frequency and/or the venous ammonia level of the subject at two or more time points. The invention further provides methods for treating these subjects.
Claims10
A method of reducing the risk of hospitalization for a subject having hepatic encephalopathy (HE) comprising administering between about 1000 mg to about 1200 mg rifaximin daily to the subject for a period of 12 months or longer, wherein the subject has a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score of between about 1 to 24, thereby reducing the risk of hospitalization.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.