BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Sucampo said Tuesday it has been approved to market Amitiza capsules to treat chronic constipation.
The drug maker said the Food and Drug Administration has OK'd the new drug (lubiprostone) as an oral treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation in adults.
Sucampo said it would jointly market Amitiza with Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc., a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, and would launch the product in the spring.
Sucampo said the new treatment is the first selective chloride channel activator approved for therapeutic use that has shown to be effective in adults with chronic idiopathic constipation, a condition that mostly affects women and also strikes older patients over the age of 65 more frequently.
In studies, approximately 60 percent of patients who used Amitiza experienced a spontaneous bowel movement within the first 24 hours, Sucampo said.
The drug also decreases abdominal bloating, abdominal discomfort and constipation severity when administered over the 6- to 12-month treatment period, the company said.
