Effectiveness of Medilac-S as an Adjuvant to Conventional Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatments: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Numerous clinical studies published in the Chinese language support the use of Medilac-S (Bacillus subtilis R0179 and Enterococcus faecium R0026; non-commercial name IBacilluS+) as an adjuvant in various indications, including ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, acute gastritis, and Helicobacter pylori therapy. This systematic review with a meta-analysis was conducted to summarize clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of this probiotic formulation as an adjuvant to conventional IBS medications. The systematic literature searches in six international and Chinese databases identified 37 eligible studies, of which 33 reported the efficacy of Medilac-S adjunctive therapy using a standardized categorical scale. These 33 studies were included in the meta-analysis using a random-effect model with a stratification by IBS subtype. Overall, Medilac-S significantly improved the efficacy of conventional IBS treatment (RR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.17–1.25; and p < 0.0001) with an average probability of treatment effectiveness being 21% higher with the probiotic adjuvant, regardless of the subtype. Adverse events, reported in 78% of the trials, were described as mild-to-moderate and self-resolving, with a similar incidence in the probiotic adjuvant (6.2%; n = 1347) and control (5.9%; n = 1331) groups. The results of this meta-analysis strengthen the conclusions that Medilac-S is a safe and effective adjuvant to a variety of conventional treatments in IBS patients.