Company touts cure for stomach distress during travel

SAN DIEGO Anybody who travels abroad, particularly to developing countries, has dealt with traveler’s diarrhea, but a San Diego company said Wednesday that it had developed an effective cure for it.

In late-stage trials, Optimer Pharmaceuticals found that its once-daily drug Prulifloxacin began working within a day. Optimer bought the development rights for the drug from Japan-based Nippon Chinyako four years ago and hopes to begin selling the drug within two years.

Optimer conducted its first trial for the drug in Mexico and Peru, and is conducting the second trial in Mexico and India. It expects to finish both trials this year. After applying to the Food and Drug Administration, it plans to conduct phase IV trials to compare Prulifloxacin to ciprofloxacin, a more common diarrhea drug.