Lesaffre Probiotic Wins Irritable Bowel Syndrome Health Claim in Canada

French probiotic supplier Lesaffre Human Care has secured a Health Canada claim linking its ibSium-brand Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with benefits for irritable bowel syndrome.

Products in Canada can now claim that ibSium “helps to reduce abdominal pain and discomfort associated with irritable bowel syndrome.” The company’s scientific substantiation includes a clinical trial¹ published in the journal Digestive and Liver Disease in 2015 that found Saccharomyces cerevisiae to be well tolerated and to “reduce abdominal pain and discomfort scores without stool modification.” The study was conducted in 179 adults with irritable bowel syndrome who received 500-mg once daily of ibSium Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

For now, Lesaffre has licensed ibSium exclusively in Canada to a company called Medical Futures Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tribute Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. Lesaffre reports that Medical Futures plans to launch a finished product called ibSium in Canada.

“Obtaining this new health claim is a big win for Lesaffre Human Care,” said the company via press release. “It is a recognition of the company’s long-term investment in providing strong scientific and clinical data to substantiate the benefits of its patented strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.”

Irritable bowel syndrome sufferers are many, and many are looking for support, said Lesaffre’s global marketing manager, Sandrine Cuisenier, in the press release. “With millions of people worldwide affected by IBS, many of them unsatisfied with their current treatment, this claim approval will definitely have a positive impact on sales.”
 

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine
jennifer.grebow@ubm.com

References:

1. Pineton de Chambrun G et al., “A randomized clinical trial of Saccharomyces cerevisiae vs. placebo in the irritable bowel syndrome,” Digestive and Liver Disease, vol. 47, no. 2 (February 2015): 119-124