Review article: rifaximin, a minimally absorbed oral antibacterial, for the treatment of travellers' diarrhoea.

BACKGROUND

Travellers' diarrhoea, a common problem worldwide with significant medical impact, is generally treated with anti-diarrhoeal agents and fluid replacement. Systemic antibiotics are also used in selected cases, but these may be associated with adverse effects, bacterial resistance and drug-drug interactions.

AIM

To review the clinical evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of the minimally absorbed oral antibiotic rifaximin in travellers' diarrhoea.

METHODS

PubMed and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (to January 2010) and International Society of Travel Medicine congress abstracts (2003-2009) were searched to identify relevant publications.

RESULTS

A total of 10 publications were included in the analysis. When administered three times daily for 3 days, rifaximin is superior to placebo or loperamide; it is at least as effective as ciprofloxacin in reducing duration of illness and restoring wellbeing in patients with travellers' diarrhoea, both with and without identification of a pathogen, as well as in diarrhoea caused by Escherichia coli infection. Rifaximin demonstrates only minimal potential for development of bacterial resistance and for cytochrome P450-mediated drug-drug interactions, and its tolerability profile is similar to that of placebo.

CONCLUSION

When antibiotic therapy is warranted in uncomplicated travellers' diarrhoea, rifaximin may be considered as a first-line treatment option because of its favourable efficacy, tolerability and safety profiles.