Rifaximin, IBS antibiotic treatment, passes phase 2 trials

ORLANDO, Fla. A treatment for irritable bowel syndrome in phase 2 trials was more effective than a placebo, the drug’s maker announced Monday.

Salix Pharmaceuticals said the antibiotic, rifaximin, improved quality of life for people with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

“The latest findings, along with previously reported data, suggest a potential therapeutic role for rifaximin—a non-absorbed and gut-selective antibiotic—in patients with irritable bowel syndrome,” said Dr. William Chey, a professor of medicine at the University of Michigan’s Division of Gastroenterology and director of the UM Medical Center’s Gastrointestinal Physiology Laboratory.