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Effects of Rifaximin Treatment and Retreatment in Nonconstipated IBS Subjects
Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 05/16/2011
Clinical Article
Pimentel M et al. – Retreatment with rifaximin for subjects with nonconstipated irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) in a real–world clinical practice was successful up to five times without decrease in duration or effect.
Methods- Charts of patients who were seen at a tertiary care medical center between 2007 and 2011 were reviewed.
- After exclusion criteria were applied, subjects who had received rifaximin and were seen for retreatment were fully reviewed.
- During review, demographic information, duration of response, and success of treatment and retreatment were evaluated.
- Total of 522 charts were reviewed. Of these 522 charts, 71 subjects were nonconstipated IBS subjects who had received at least one retreatment.
- Of these, 48 had a second, 22 had a third, 7 had a fourth, and 4 had a fifth treatment.
- More than 75% of subjects who initially responded to rifaximin also responded to any further retreatment, with no significant reduction in benefit for successive retreatments.
- Furthermore, there was no change in the duration of benefit (median time between treatments) for successive retreatments.
