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Review
. 2022 Feb 17;11(4):1044.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11041044.

The Efficacy of Mebeverine in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome-A Systematic Review

Jaroslaw Daniluk  1 , Ewa Malecka-Wojciesko  2 , Barbara Skrzydlo-Radomanska  3 , Grazyna Rydzewska  4   5
Affiliations
Review

The Efficacy of Mebeverine in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome-A Systematic Review

Jaroslaw Daniluk et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal tract disorder, affecting 10-20% of adults worldwide. Mebeverine is an antispasmodic agent indicated for the symptomatic treatment of abdominal pain caused by intestinal smooth muscle spasms and intestinal functional disorders in the course of IBS. The aim of this article was to perform a systematic literature review and update previous overviews of the efficacy and safety of mebeverine treatment in IBS.

Methods: Major electronic medical databases, PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane, were systematically searched from January 1965 to January 2021.

Results: Twenty-two studies met our inclusion criteria, including 19 randomised trials, two observational retrospective studies, and one non-randomised, single-blinded study. Six studies reported a significant decrease in abdominal pain after mebeverine treatment (p-values ranging from <0.05 to <0.001). Only three studies showed no improvement after mebeverine treatment in terms of the severity of abdominal pain or discomfort. Some of the included studies also showed significant improvements in abnormal bowel habits, abdominal distension, as well as stool frequency and consistency. Adverse events were rare and associated mainly with IBS symptoms.

Conclusions: Mebeverine is an effective treatment option in IBS, with a good safety profile and low frequency of adverse effects.

Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome; mebeverine; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

J.D. has consulted for Mylan, has received speaker honoraria from Mylan, Ferring, and Takeda. E.M.-W. has received financial support through a grant from the Medical University of Lodz Department of Digestive Tract Diseases, has received compensation from Polpharma, Pfizer, Abbott for service as a consultant, has received payment for lectures including service on speakers bureaus from Janssen, Astellas, Varimed, Polpharma, and Krka, has received payment for the development of educational presentations from Sanofi-Aventis, and has received reimbursements for travel/accommodation/meeting expenses from Abbott and Varimed. Neither funding nor financial support was administered for the current study. B.S.-R. has consulted for Takeda, Sanprobi, Promed, Polfarma, Krka, Adamed, Biocodex, Jansen, Polfa Łódź, Alfasigma and declares no conflict of interests. G.R. has received speaker/advisory honoraria from Adamed, Alfa Sigma, Allergan, Celltrion, Ferring, Janssen, Pfizer, Polpharma, Sandoz, Sanofi, Takeda, Vitama. Neither funding nor financial support was administered for the current study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of literature search strategy according to PRISMA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Venn diagram for range and relationship between IBS diagnostic criteria Rome II, III and IV.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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