For Second Consecutive Year, U.S. Gastroenterologists Endorse IBgard® As The #1 Recommended Peppermint Oil For IBS...By Overwhelming Margin

BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IM HealthScience^®, innovators of IBgard^®, a medical food using a novel approach in managing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), announced today results of a nationwide survey conducted among 202 U.S. gastroenterologists by QuintilesIMS using its ProVoice survey methodology. For the second consecutive year, IBgard^® continues to be the #1 recommended peppermint oil for IBS among gastroenterologists by an overwhelming margin.

The survey revealed that 87 percent of physicians are now recommending peppermint oil for their IBS patients (compared to 83 percent in 2015), and the average number of weekly recommendations per gastroenterologist surveyed increased to 7.2, a 43 percent increase over the prior year. IBgard^® was by far the market leader with close to 60 percent of physician recommendations. The next brand on the list was a distant second with about 13 percent of physician recommendations.

"The increase in recommendations of IBgard^® among gastroenterologists reflects their real-world experience in receiving positive feedback from their patients with IBS," said Michael Epstein, M.D., F.A.C.G., A.G.A.F., a leading gastroenterologist and Chief Medical Advisor, of IM HealthScience, LLC^®. "There is growing evidence that a strong medical consensus is forming around the use of IBgard^® for the dietary management of IBS."

Over 10,000 healthcare practitioners, including 3,000 gastroenterologists, are estimated to have already used IBgard^® for their patients.

About QuintilesIMS

QuintilesIMS (NYSE:Q) is a leading integrated information and technology-enabled healthcare service provider worldwide, dedicated to helping its clients improve their clinical, scientific and commercial results. Formed through the merger of Quintiles Transnational and IMS Health, QuintilesIMS's approximately 50,000 employees conduct operations in more than 100 countries. Companies seeking to improve real-world patient outcomes through treatment innovations, care provision and access can leverage QuintilesIMS's broad range of healthcare information, technology and service solutions to drive new insights and approaches. QuintilesIMS provides solutions that span clinical to commercial, bringing customers a unique opportunity to realize the full potential of innovations and advanced healthcare outcomes.

As a global leader in protecting individual patient privacy, QuintilesIMS uses healthcare data to deliver critical, real-world disease and treatment insights. Through a wide variety of privacy-enhancing technologies and safeguards, QuintilesIMS protects individual privacy while managing information to drive healthcare forward. These insights and execution capabilities help biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, government agencies, payers and other healthcare stakeholders in the development and approval of new therapies, and to identify unmet treatment needs and understand the safety, effectiveness and value of pharmaceutical products in improving overall health outcomes. To learn more, visit www.QuintilesIMS.com.

About ProVoice Survey

ProVoice has the largest sample size of any professional healthcare survey in the U.S., with nearly 60,000 respondents across physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, optometrists, dentists and hygienists, measuring recommendations across more than 120 over-the-counter categories. Manufacturers use ProVoice for claim substantiation, promotion measurement and HCP targeting.

QuintilesIMS fielded a U.S. survey among 202 U.S. gastroenterologists between October/November 2016 for IM HealthScience^®. The ProVoice survey methodology validated the claim at a 99 percent confidence level that for the second consecutive year, "IBgard^® is the #1 gastroenterologist-recommended peppermint oil for patients with IBS."

About Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Individuals with IBS have a significant burden affecting their daily quality of life and point to the need for a more proactive approach in managing their condition. In fact, IBS is a disorder that affects one in six Americans. It is a frustrating, under-diagnosed and under-treated condition, characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, often associated with alteration in stool frequency and/or form. Bloating is also a common symptom experienced by patients with IBS. Recent understandings of the root causes of IBS point to gut mucosal barrier dysfunction and malabsorption. IBS can be severe – even unbearable – for some patients. IBgard^® has been clinically supported to manage the symptoms of IBS in as early as 24 hours.

About IBgard^®  

IBgard^® is a medical food specially formulated for the dietary management of IBS. IBgard^® capsules contain solid state microspheres of peppermint oil, including its principal component l-Menthol, in a unique delivery system. With its patented Site Specific Targeting (SST^®) technology, pioneered by IM HealthScience^®, IBgard^® capsules release Ultramen^®, an ultra-purified peppermint oil, quickly and reliably to the small intestine, where its actions help manage IBS. Peppermint oil can help toward normalizing the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients, which have been compromised by IBS. Peppermint oil has also been shown to normalize intestinal transit time.

Like all medical foods, IBgard^® does not require a prescription, but it must be used under medical supervision. Only doctors can diagnose IBS. The usual adult dose of IBgard^® is 1-2 capsules as needed, up to three times a day, not to exceed 8 capsules per day.

IBgard^® is available to patients in the digestive aisle at most CVS/pharmacy, Walgreens and Rite Aid stores nationwide and now increasingly in independent drug stores and grocery stores across the country.

About IM HealthScience^®

IM HealthScience^® (IMH) is the innovator of IBgard^® for the dietary management of irritable bowel syndrome. It is a privately held company based in Boca Raton, Florida, that is also the innovator of FDgard^® for the dietary management of functional dyspepsia. It was founded in 2010 by a team of highly experienced pharmaceutical research and development and management executives. The company is dedicated to developing products to address gastrointestinal issues where there is a high unmet need. The IM HealthScience^® advantage comes from developing products based on its patented, targeted-delivery technologies called Site Specific Targeting (SST^®). For more information, visit www.imhealthscience.com to learn about the company, or www.IBgard.com or www.FDgard.com.

SOURCE IM HealthScience