Allergan’s Viberzi (eluxadoline) now available in the US

Allergan’s Viberzi (eluxadoline) is now available by prescription in the US.

Viberzi, a twice daily, oral medication, is Allergan’s first-in-class treatment for irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D).

“We are excited about the launch of Viberzi, which addresses an unmet need among IBS-D patients seeking a treatment to manage their symptoms proactively,” said William Meury, President and Executive Vice President, Branded Pharma at Allergan. “This introduction reaffirms Allergan’s commitment to providing a new treatment option that serves to help gastroenterologists reach better outcomes for their patients.”

IBS-D is a multifactorial disorder marked by recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort and diarrhoea that affects as many as 15 million adult Americans, impacting both women and men equally. There are few prescription treatment options available for IBS-D, particularly options that relieve both the diarrhoea and abdominal pain associated with IBS-D.

Viberzi maintained symptom relief throughout treatment in trials

Viberzi has mixed opioid receptor activity, it is a mu receptor agonist, a delta receptor antagonist, and a kappa receptor agonist. It relieves the core symptoms of IBS-D, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Symptom relief was maintained throughout treatment in two pivotal clinical trials.

On 12 November 2015, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) completed its review of Viberzi (eluxadoline), and published its Final Rule placing Viberzi into Schedule IV of the Controlled Substance Act. Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined by the DEA as drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence.