I expect it won't be long before physicians like Dr De Meirleir start using these FMT pills for ME/CFS patients.
According to a
study by Dr Thomas Borody et al at the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Australia, 58% of ME/CFS patients with IBS given bacteriotherapy (but not FMT) achieved
resolution from their ME/CFS symptoms (of sleep deprivation, lethargy/fatigue). And this resolution in symptoms has been sustained for two decades to date, according to the study.
However, the study does not indicate the initial severity of ME/CFS the patients had, ie, mild, moderate or severe ME/CFS.
Also, the Borody study implanted cultured gut bacteria (Bacteroidetes, Clostridia, and E. coli) into the colon, rather than a fecal microbiota transplant. So that's not quite the same as FMT.
And interestingly, all 4 of the patients in the study that had ME/CFS alone (with no concurrent gastrointestinal symptoms like IBS) failed to respond to the fecal transplant.
There is a thread on the Borody study
here. But note that at
Borody's own clinic, the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Australia, he does not appear offer bacteriotherapy or FMT treatment for ME/CFS. According to the
website, he treats ulcerative colitis and IBS with FMT, but not ME/CFS. So his study claims to have found an amazing cure for ME/CFS with IBS, but he is not offering this treatment at his clinic.
So these FMT pills could become another useful treatment for ME/CFS patients.
It looks like you cannot buy the FMT fecal microbiota transplant pills yourself as a patient; you need to do it through a doctor. From the
Openbiome FMT website:
Physicians and researchers interested in learning more about ordering and availability can contact OpenBiome at
capsules@openbiome.org for more details. As per the policy for all methods of administration, OpenBiome only ships FMT material to physicians for the treatment of rCDI, unless the procedure is being performed under an IND.
Note: IND =
investigational new drug.