First approved new class of IBS-C therapy, Constella, now available in Europe

Spain’s largest drugmaker Almirall (ALM: MC) and US partner Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, (Nasdaq: IRWD) today (June 13) announced the launch of Constella (linaclotide 290mcg capsules once daily), the first approved prescription therapy in a new class of treatments for adults suffering from moderate to severe IBS-C, in Europe. Constella is now available in Germany, the UK and Nordic countries and is expected to be launched in several other European countries in 2013.

Constella is the first and only product approved in the European Union for the treatment of IBS-C in adults and has been demonstrated in clinical trials to improve abdominal pain – one of the hallmark symptoms of IBS-C, as well as to improve constipation-related symptoms. IBS is a functional, chronic and relapsing gastrointestinal disorder affecting over 10% of the European population, and it is estimated that one-third of IBS patients suffer from IBS-C[ii]with different degrees of severity. Symptoms associated with IBS-C include abdominal pain and/or discomfort, bloating and constipation.

“The availability of linaclotide is excellent news for the one-third of adult IBS patients that have constipation. The symptoms associated with the condition can negatively impact the lives of patients. A targeted prescription treatment specifically for IBS-C is extremely welcome – for both appropriate patients and physicians alike who can now better manage this unpleasant, chronic condition,” said Eamonn Quigley, a professor and gastroenterologist at the University College Cork, Ireland, quoted by the companies.