Abraham Khan, MD: A Focus on Esophageal Health

There remains a major need for more therapies and more general research into various esophageal disorders including achalasia.

Coming off the 2022 approval of dupilumab (Dupixant) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)—the first ever approval for the disease—there is a renewed interest in drug development for this difficult to treat set of conditions.

In a presentation during the 2023 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in Chicago, Abraham R. Khan, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine Medical Director, Center for Esophageal Health, talked about the need for therapeutics specifically for patients with esophageal motility disorders from both a diagnostic and treatment perspective.

Khan’s specific presentation focused on achalasia, a rare condition where swallowing becomes disruptive in the esophagus.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Khan explained how there is a major need to continue to research these conditions.

“Further research really needs to be done to subtype achalasia patients, to really tailor their treatment approach,” Khan said. “Really the personalized approach to the achalasia treatment really is a priority at this point.

Khan also spoke about dupilumab, saying that while it has been a major milestone for patients with EoE, it likely does not have much utility for treating patients with other esophageal diseases.

“I think it has been very valuable to have another treatment option,” Khan said. “There are some exciting things to think about in using it for other diseases going forward.”