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This must be extremely frustrating.

What do you think it might take to satisfy the criteria of the AASLD guidance by forming a new study that is more patient-friendly than the Mayo study mentioned in the article?

I wonder what it would take for patients affected by this to organize such a study themselves. I imagine that paying for it would be a big hurdle.

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It is frightening for patients who are already on vancomycin, and makes it harder for new patients to try it. The AASLD wants to see randomized controlled trial data; there have in fact already been two small such trials, but obviously not enough to satisfy them. I do think a better trial could be designed, and I'm actually trying to do that now. Finding the funding is a challenge because vancomycin is a generic drug. There are entities who would be willing to carry out such a trial if funds can be found.

I wonder if it would be possible for the participants themselves or their families to help pay to fund the study. Maybe not as a pay-to-play, but more like a gofundme: "If we manage to raise this much in donations, then the study can move forward."

Would you be able to say what kind of funding is needed for a study like this? Like, how large a budget is required, and what does it pay for?

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