Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of the large intestine resulting in cramping, bloating, abdominal pain, mucus in the colon, gas, and diarrhea or constipation or even both. It reportedly affects at least 6-18% of people worldwide, according to Healthline, but that may not include millions of undiagnosed patients.
IBS is tricky to diagnose because its symptoms can be similar to food sensitivities and other irritable bowel diseases.
Though it is a chronic disorder, it can be controlled by managing diet, lifestyle, and stress.
Founded in February 2014, 4D Pharma (LON:DDDD) is a world leader in the development of Live Biotherapeutics, a novel and emerging class of drugs, defined by the FDA as biological products that contain a live organism, such as a bacteria, that is applicable to the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease. 4D has developed a proprietary platform that rationally identifies novel bacteria that have a precise and evolved therapeutic effect. All of 4D’s Live Biotherapeutic products are orally delivered single strains of bacteria that are naturally found in the healthy human gut. 4D has completed a Phase I study in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and has completed dosing in a Phase I study in Paediatric Crohn’s Disease. It currently has a pipeline of 13 pre-clinical programmes, covering disease areas such as cancer, poorly controlled asthma, autoimmune and CNS disease, and plans to commence four additional clinical studies in 2018.
