Treatment options for individuals with IBS and IBD are limited and while probiotics are popular, there are currently no conventional probiotics that can function to alleviate symptoms during active flare-ups or if someone is stressed.
The discovery of FX856, a friendly strain of live bacteria, which has shown in animal models with inflammatory bowel disease to survive and thrive during periods of active inflammation delaying disease onset and reducing symptoms, led the Bristol team to create Ferrocalm.
The gut-calming solution, developed over 10 years’ R&D at the University of Bristol, contains FX856 and aims to reduce symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation that people suffer during active flare-ups of IBS, IBD and Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Currently approved for use as a food supplement, Ferrocalm will undergo clinical trials in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in 2024 to test efficacy as a pharmaceutical treatment.