PSC Support Vancomycin Statement

Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is discussed a great deal in online PSC patient communities around the world. In the UK, vancomycin is not licensed as a treatment for PSC, although is used occasionally when other medical options have been exhausted/ people are experiencing repeated bile duct infections. To date, there is not enough robust evidence to understand the risks and benefits of vancomycin taken by people with PSC, which PSC patients it helps, the duration of its effects, and optimum dosage.

The European professional society for the liver disease medical and patient community, EASL, set out new guidelines for the care of  people with PSC in September 2022. EASL specifically states that antibiotics are not recommended for the long-term treatment of PSC in the absence of recurrent bacterial cholangitis.

PSC Support would like to see positive data from large phase III randomised controlled clinical trials evaluating the effect of vancomycin in people with PSC before we can consider advocating for its widespread, routine use.