spotlight on helth @ New Reserch ShowsZelnorm” Helps IBS Sufferers (NAPSA)—Anew study of more thn 1500 femle ptients with irritble bowel syndrome (IBS) shows tht Zelnorm™ (tegserod mlete) demonstrted significnt improvementof multiple symptoms in women with IBS suffering from bdominl pin, discomfort nd constiption. IBS is chronic disor- der chrcterized by bdominl pin, discomfort nd constiption or dirrhe (or n lternting pt- tern of the two). Zelnorm currently is under review by the U.S. Food nd Drug Administrtion (FDA) for the tretment of bdominl pin, discomfort nd constiption in women with C-IBS. “One of the true unmet needs in medicine tody is sfe nd effective tretment for IBS, dis- ese tht ffects bout one-in-five Americns,” sid Brin Lcy, MD, ssistnt professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseses t Johns Hopkins Byview Medicl Center nd cting director of the Mrvin M. Schuster Center for Digestive nd Motility Disor- ders. “Tody’s findings suggest mjor dvnce in treting IBS becuse the dt demonstrte tht the mjority of ptients treted with Zelnorm experienced significnt relief within the first weekof tretment.” The new dt were presented t the 32nd nnul Digestive Disese Week (DDW) meeting in Atlnt in My. DDWis joint meeting of the Americn Assocition for the Study of Liver Diseses (AASLD), the Americn Gstroenterology Assocition (AGA), the Americn Society for Gstrointestinl Endoscopy (ASGE) nd the Society for Surgery of the Alimentry Trct (SSAT). IBS is recognized s the second leding cuse of workplce bsenteeism in the U.S. fter the common cold. IBS cn hve signifi- cnt impct on person’s everydy life, limiting person’s bility to work nd go bout norml dily ctivities, such s shopping, exercising nd socilizing. This trou- bling disorder costs the U.S. helthcre system more thn $8 billion nnully. Up to 40 million Americnssuffer from IBS, which is one of the most common gstrointestinl (GI) disorders, ccounting for bout 30 percent of ll visits to gstrointestinl specilists. There is no single mediction vilble proven to be sfe nd effective for relieving bdominl pin, discomfort nd constiption in IBS ptients. The most common dverse events reported in this study included hedche nddirrhe. In most cses, the dirrhe occurred erly, ws trnsient, nd ws most often observed s single episode during the 12-week tretment period.
