Positive IBS data for Salix' Xifaxan

The USA's Salix Pharmaceuticals has presented strong data on its drug candidate Xifaxan (rifaximin) at the Digestive Disease Week annual meeting in Los Angeles, USA.

According to the North Carolina-based drugmaker, 200mg tablets of Xifaxan provide durable improvement in symptom relief for irritable bowel syndrome patients. The firm noted that this durability of improvement following the completion of a 10-day course of the drug is a marked improvement on current therapies which require continuous and chronic treatment. Salix expects that its current Phase IIb trial will replicate these findings.