FDA approves two IBS treatments

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two treatments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea (IBS-D) on Wednesday. Both Patheon Pharmaceuticals’ Viberzi (eluxadoline) and Salix Pharmaceuticals’ Xifaxan (ritaximin) are now available to patients.

 

“For some people, IBS can be quite disabling, and no one medication works for all patients suffering from this gastrointestinal disorder,” the FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation III director, Julie Beitz, M.D., said. 

 

Viberzi can be taken twice a day with food and can help alleviate tightening of patients’ bowels by activating receptors in their nervous system. Xifaxan is a treatment in which patients take the medication orally three times a day for 14 days. 

 

“The approval of two new therapies underscores the FDA’s commitment to providing additional treatment options for IBS patients and their doctors,” Beitz said.