Rifaximin is a semisynthetic, non-systemic antibiotic based on rifamycin, which means the drug does not pass through the gastrointestinal wall and does not enter the bloodstream, as is common with other types of antibiotics. It is used to treat traveler's diarrhea caused by E. coli, to reduce the risk of recurrence of overt hepatic encephalopathy, and to treat diarrhea-dominant irritable bowel syndrome in adult women and men.
Effect
Pharmacodynamics
Rifaximin acts by inhibiting RNA synthesis in susceptible bacteria by binding to the beta subunit of the bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-dependent ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase enzyme. This binding blocks translocation, halting transcription. As a result, the bacteria can no longer synthesize proteins, preventing them from reproducing.
Pharmacokinetics
Rifaximin is not absorbed systemically, so there are no data on pharmacokinetics. The half-life is approximately 6 hours.
Toxicity
Side effects
Rifaximin has few unwanted other effects. These side effects are generally mild and rare. This is mainly because very little of the drug is absorbed from the intestine, which means there are no systemic side effects.
Aktories, Förstermann, Hofmann, Starke: Allgemeine und spezielle Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Elsvier, 2017
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Markus Falkenstätter, BSc Author
Markus Falkenstätter is a writer on pharmaceutical topics in Medikamio's medical editorial team. He is in the last semester of his pharmacy studies at the University of Vienna and loves scientific work in the field of natural sciences.
Mag. pharm. Stefanie Lehenauer Lector
Stefanie Lehenauer has been a freelance writer for Medikamio since 2020 and studied pharmacy at the University of Vienna. She works as a pharmacist in Vienna and her passion is herbal medicines and their effects.
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