Crofelemer

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Crofelemer (Mytesi) is an oral antidiarrheal medicine used to relieve non-infectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS who are on antiretroviral therapy. It may also be used for diarrhea in children, acute infectious diarrhea, or diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, but these uses vary.

How it works: Crofelemer blocks two chloride channels (CFTR and CaCC) on the gut lining, reducing water and electrolyte loss into the intestine. This improves stool consistency without slowing gut movement.

Administration and absorption: It is taken by mouth as 125 mg delayed-release tablets. The drug is minimally absorbed into the bloodstream and is mostly excreted in stool.

Safety: Crofelemer is generally well tolerated. Common side effects (similar to placebo) can include mild upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, cough, flatulence, and slightly higher bilirubin.

What it is: Crofelemer is a purified mixture of oligomeric proanthocyanidins derived from the sap of the South American tree Croton lechleri (dragon’s blood). It was developed for treating diarrhea and approved by the FDA in 2012.