Dark Canyon Labs – DCL-101 colonoscopy preparation
In an effort to make the colonoscopy preparation process more tolerable, Dark Canyon Labs has developed a novel preparation designed to avoid the bad taste of current options while preserving efficacy. Currently, bowel preps combine polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions with salts to achieve the cathartic effect. The PEG is tasteless but the salts are not. The concept of the novel prep is to administer the PEG in the usual liquid form but deliver the salts by capsule, avoiding the bad taste. Once the PEG and capsules reach the stomach, they mix and reform the same concentration of a standard prep.
The product as currently formulated reproduces the electrolyte composition of GoLYTELY®. Rather than 4 liters of the typical preps, the patient takes 2 liters of solution along with 48 capsules, according to Dr. Dale Bachwich, cofounder and chief medical officer of Dark Canyon Laboratories and a practicing gastroenterologist.
“A better colonoscopy prep benefits everyone – patients, physicians, endoscopy centers, payers, and society,” said Dr. Bachwich, who presented several sets of data demonstrating that patients far preferred the tasteless prep despite the 48-capsule requirement. Like standard bowel preps, the new formulation can be taken in single or split doses.
The sharks, who were given a taste test in which they compared the liquid portion of the new bowel prep to a conventional prep, agreed that the new prep was relatively tasteless and could provide a large advantage over current formulations despite the large pill burden. However, there was unanimous agreement that the purported advantages, including greater compliance and fewer canceled colonoscopies due to inadequate prep, need to be demonstrated in a well-controlled trial, particularly if the novel bowel preparation has a higher price. Mr. Pierce said that there is a potential value proposition for the advantages Dr. Bachwich outlined, but objective supportive evidence is needed.
