Rifamycin SV MMX®: A Review in the Treatment of Traveller's Diarrhoea.

Abstract

Rifamycin SV MMX® (Aemcolo™; Relafalk™) is a novel oral formulation of the antibacterial rifamycin SV that uses MultiMatrix (MMX®) technology to enable colonic delivery. Specifically, the active ingredient (rifamycin SV) is released throughout the colon, where it acts locally in the intestinal lumen; systemic absorption is minimal. Rifamycin SV MMX® exhibits antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of clinically relevant enteropathogens and is available in the EU and the USA for the treatment of adults with traveller's diarrhoea. In two multinational, phase III studies, rifamycin SV MMX® (400mg twice daily for 3days) effectively shortened the duration of non-dysenteric traveller's diarrhoea in adults, being significantly more effective than placebo and noninferior to ciprofloxacin in reducing median time to last unformed stool. As expected (given its poor systemic absorption), rifamycin SV MMX® was well tolerated in this patient population, with the overall incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events generally similar to those of placebo and ciprofloxacin. Current evidence indicates that twice-daily rifamycin SV MMX® is an effective and well tolerated treatment option for shortening the duration of non-dysenteric traveller's diarrhoea in adults.