Press

British Society of Gastroenterology IBS guidelines confirm role of antispasmodics

First comprehensive clinical review of hyoscine butylbromide confirms Buscopan^® is a valuable treatment option for sufferers of abdominal pain or discomfort associated with cramping

Boehringer Ingelheim Consumer Healthcare, 20th June, 2007 – A new clinical review unveiled this week confirms Buscopan^®, a world leading drug for abdominal pain, is an effective and well tolerated treatment option for those suffering from abdominal pain or discomfort associated with cramping¹ – one of the main symptoms of IBS. This new review supports the latest guidelines for diagnosing and treating IBS issued by The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) which recommend antispasmodics as a first-line treatment for IBS pain.²

The clinical review published this week in Drugs (2007;67(9)) found hyoscine butylbromide (the active ingredient in Buscopan^®) to be significantly beneficial in all ten placebo-controlled studies evaluating its efficacy, tolerability and safety, thereby supporting its use in the treatment of abdominal pain.¹ These findings further substantiate the guidelines which recommend the use of antispasmodics to improve abdominal pain in IBS. However, due to a lack of data, the guidelines also state that although antispasmodics are considered ‘safe’², they offer only a small improvement relative to placebo.² The latest data from Boehringer Ingelheim provides significant evidence to highlight the efficacy of Buscopan^® and further support the effectiveness of IBS treatments.

Review author Professor Tytgat of the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam commented, “Buscopan^® is an important medication for this condition that adversely affects many people worldwide and is detrimental to their daily lives. The review underlines its efficacy and tolerability so that many more people can treat their condition with confidence.”

Insights into this area show that almost one in three people in the UK suffer from this troublesome, and sometimes debilitating, ailment.³ Abdominal pain can have a detrimental effect on quality of life along with considerable socioeconomic consequences. Often sufferers do not seek help either because they are embarrassed to talk about the delicate nature of the complaint or because they do not realise there are specialist treatments available for the condition, which can be effectively managed.

In contrast to general analgesics, Buscopan^® specifically targets abdominal problems. It is hardly absorbed at all into the blood system and acts at the site of the painful spasms in the intestine.⁴ Consequently, the review paper reports that it is well tolerated and few adverse events have been reported.⁵

Following a long established use on prescription, Buscopan^® IBS Relief was launched in the UK in 2005 as an over-the-counter medicine to provide a widely available option for sufferers to self select, specifically targeting those who have been medically diagnosed with IBS. Buscopan^® IBS Relief contains the active ingredient hyoscine butylbromide, which provides effective, targeted relief from abdominal pain, cramps and spasms.⁶ Always read the leaflet.

Notes to Editors

About Buscopan

Buscopan^® tablets were first developed over 50 years ago, to provide relief to people suffering with abdominal pain and discomfort due to cramps of the gastrointestinal tract. It is now the worldwide market leader in the antispasmodic category sold in more than 50 countries around the world. The proven Buscopan^® formula gently relaxes the cramped muscles of the digestive tract, and thereby relieves the spasms that cause abdominal pain.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 143 affiliates in 47 countries and almost 37,500 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

In 2006, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 10.6 billion euro while spending almost one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.

For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

For further information, please contact
Natasha Gifford
Virgo Health PR
Phone: +44 (0)20 8939 2470
Natasha.Gifford@virgohealthpr.com

1 Tytgat G N. Hyoscine Butylbromide. A Review of its Use in the Treatment of Abdominal Cramping and Pain. Drugs 2007; 67 (9).
2 Spiller R et al. Guidelines for the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gut. May 2007.
3 Quigley EMM et al. Prevalence and management of abdominal cramping and pain: a multinational survey. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2006; 24: 411-419
4 Haeselbarth V, Ensinger H. Synopsis on bioavailability and receptor binding. Data on file. Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH 1999
5 Mueller-Lissner S, et al. Placebo and paracetomol controlled study on the efficacy and tolerabilityof hyoscine butylbromide in the treatment of patients with recurrent crampy abdominal pain. Aliment Pharamacol Ther 2006; 23 1741 - 1748
6 Buscopan IBS Relief Product Information. August 2006.