Contact: Chido Tsemunhu
[email protected]
212-468-3681
Manning Selvage & Lee
Review of probiotic trial research finds only Bifantis able to claim efficacy for IBS symptoms
Study adds to growing evidence of B. infantis 35624 efficacy in IBS population
CINCINNATI
– March 23, 2009 – A review by researchers at Northwestern University
(Chicago, IL.) and University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) of the
utility of probiotics in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
(IBS) found that
Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 was the only
probiotic strain out of 13 different individual strains or preparations
reviewed to significantly improve symptoms of IBS, including abdominal
pain, bloating and bowel movement difficulty.
Bifidobacterium infantis
35624 is marketed as Bifantis® and can be found in a daily probiotic
supplement by Procter & Gamble. The researchers reviewed 16
random-controlled-studies, evaluating the efficacy, safety and
tolerability of probiotics in the treatment of IBS. With the exception
of the
Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 studies, researchers
found the other trials did not use an appropriate study design and did
not adequately report adverse events. The article was published on the
American Journal of Gastroenterology website in advance of appearing in the publication's April 2009 issue1.
Irritable
Bowel Syndrome affects one in five Americans and treatment options are
limited. Darren. M Brenner, Division of Gastroenterology and Department
of Internal Medicine, at Northwestern University and lead investigator
of this study, hypothesized that alterations in gut microflora may
contribute to the development of IBS symptoms, and believed these
symptoms could be improved by probiotics. "Probiotics are gaining
popularity for the treatment of multiple gastrointestinal disorders,
including IBS," said Brenner, MD. "After assessment of the
methodological and statistical designs of these studies, B. infantis
35624 was the only probiotic that showed repeated efficacy."
Clinical evidence and support for Bifantis continues to grow
Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, discovered in the early
1990s by microbiologists at Alimentary Health in Cork, Ireland in
partnership with P&G, has been independently tested and evaluated
in several clinical trials conducted with humans. This latest review
provides continued clinical evidence of Bifantis efficacy in helping to
manage a range of gastrointestinal issues including abdominal pain,
bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas and urgency. Bifantis efficacy
data has been published or referenced in several medical journals,
including the
American Journal of Gastroenterology2 ,
Gastroenterology3 ,
New England Journal of Medicine4 ,
Public Library of Science (
PLoS)5 and
Nutrition in Clinical Practice6. Bifantis is found in the number one gastroenterologist recommended probiotic supplement in the United States7 .
Susan
Abeln, Principal Scientist at Procter & Gamble said, "P&G has
worked with Alimentary Health to study and develop a supplement with
Bifantis because we firmly believe in the benefits of this strain for
the millions of Americans struggling to manage digestive upsets each
day. We're excited to make Bifantis available to consumers nationwide
this spring."
Further credentialing the probiotic strain,
P&G recently announced that Bifantis meets the probiotic guidelines
established by The International Scientific Association for Probiotics
and Prebiotics (ISAPP). These guidelines include five key criteria that
consumers should consider when selecting a probiotic product - strain
specificity, clinical proof, packaging, and the quality and quantity of
probiotics in a product. Bifantis is proven to fully meet these
guidelines, making it a good option for those who want to build and
maintain a natural defense against abdominal discomfort and episodic
digestive upsets such as constipation, diarrhea, urgency, gas and
bloating.
###
April is National IBS Awareness Month
April is IBS Awareness Month, making this probiotic review
timely and appropriate for all IBS sufferers in need of relief. IBS is
one of the most common functional bowel disorders diagnosed by primary
care physicians and gastroenterologists; and 70 percent of IBS
sufferers do not seek medical treatment and continue to suffer from
digestive upsets. IBS is second only to the common cold as a leading
cause of workplace absenteeism in the U.S. IBS costs the U.S.
healthcare system up to an estimated $20 to 25 billion annually in
direct and indirect costs8.
About Bifantis
Bifantis (
Bifidobacterium infantis 35624) is a probiotic
strain that can help strengthen the body's natural defenses and play an
important role in basic digestion, proper metabolism and overall
well-being. Bifantis is the only natural probiotic strain found in
Align. Bifantis has clinically demonstrated that, when taken regularly,
it can help promote normal digestive health. Capsules containing
Bifantis deliver millions of good bacteria to the digestive system to
restore intestinal balance and maintain normal digestive health. Visit www.Bifantis.com for more information.
Bifantis was developed by Alimentary Health.
About Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG)
Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of
people around the world. The company has one of the strongest
portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®,
Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®
Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®,
Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella, Gillette®, and Braun.
The P&G community consists of almost 140,000 employees working in
over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
About Alimentary Health
Alimentary Health is a development stage specialty biotechnology
company located in Ireland. The company is focused on the discovery,
development and commercialization of proprietary probiotic and
pharmabiotic treatments for gastrointestinal disorders and other
inflammatory conditions. Alimentary Health is the foundation industry
partner of the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Center based at University
College Cork, Ireland. Please visit www.alimentaryhealth.ie for more information.
Contact: Velvet Gogol Bennett, P&G
Phone: (513) 622-4734
Email: [email protected]
Contact: Chido Tsemunhu, MS&L Worldwide
Phone: (212) 468-3681
Email: [email protected]
1.
Am J Gastroenterology advance online publication, 10 March 2009; doi: 10.1038/ajg.2009.25
2. Whorwell PJ, Altringer I, Morel J, et al, Efficacy of an
Encapsulated Probiotic Bifidobacterium Infantis 35624 in Women with
Irritable Bowel Syndrome;
Am. J Gastroenterology, 2006:101(7): 1581-1590
3. O'Mahony L, McCarthy J, Kelly P, et al, Lactobacillus and
Bifidobacterium in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Symptom Responses and
Relationships to Cytokine Profiles,
Gastroenterology, 2005;128 (3): 541-551
4. E. A. Mayer, M.D., Irritable Bowel Syndrome;
N Engl J Med 2008;358;1692-9
5. O'Mahony C, Scully P, O'Mahony D, Murphy S, O'Brien F, et al.
(2008) Commensal-Induced Regulatory T Cells Mediate Protection against
Pathogen-Stimulated NF-kB Activation.
PLoS Pathog 4(8): e1000112. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000112
6. Arnold Wald and David Rakel; Behavioral and Complementary Approaches for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome;
Nutrition In Clinical Practice; 2008:23 (3): 284 - 292
7. Among those who recommended a brand of probiotic in 2008, Wolters Kulwer survey, 2008
8. LadabaumU. Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Adv Stud Med 2004;
4(3):128-134; Drossman DA, Camilleri M, Mayer EA, Whitehead WE. AGA
Technical Review of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Gastroenterolgy 2002;123:2108-2131; Johns Hopkins Resource Center, Digestive Diseases Library. Monograph on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (2004). www.hopkins-gi.org