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Imodium (loperamide)
Peripheral mu-opioid receptor agonist that slows intestinal motility and increases fluid absorption without crossing the blood-brain barrier.
Loperamide (Imodium) is the world\
At a glance
| Generic name | loperamide |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Imodium, Imodium AD |
| Sponsor | Johnson & Johnson (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) |
| Drug class | Antidiarrheal (peripheral opioid agonist) |
| Target | Aldehyde oxidase, Cocaine esterase, D(4) dopamine receptor |
| Modality | Small molecule |
| Therapeutic area | Metabolic |
| Phase | FDA-approved |
| First approval | 1976-12-28 (United States) |
Mechanism of action
Loperamide is an opioid receptor agonist that acts on the myenteric plexus of the gut wall, slowing intestinal motility and increasing water absorption. It does not cross the blood-brain barrier at therapeutic doses due to P-glycoprotein efflux, so it lacks central opioid effects (no euphoria, analgesia, or respiratory depression). Developed by Paul Janssen, it is one of the most widely used OTC medications for diarrhea.
Approved indications
- Diarrhea
- Diarrhea Secondary to Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Traveler's diarrhea
Common side effects
Key clinical trials
- Efficacy and Safety of Probiotics Versus Standard Care in Preventing Diarrhea Induced by Neratinib in Breast Cancer Patients: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (NA)
- Proof-of-Concept, CASAD for Treatment of Clostridium Difficile Infection (Phase 2)
- A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Single-dose Rifaximin Versus Azithromycin With Loperamide Adjunct for Treatment of Acute Watery Diarrhea (Phase 4)
- Prospective, Single-arm, Single-center Clinical Study of Darcilil Combined With AI Combined With Pyrrotinib in the Treatment of Elderly Advanced Triple-positive Breast Cancer. (NA)
- Fecal Microbiota Therapy for Recurrent Clostridium Difficile Infection (Phase 2)
- The Safety and Efficacy of Transanal Irrigation in Patients from Low Anterior Resection Syndrome After Rectal Cancer Surgery : a Multicenter Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial (TraLARS Study) (NA)
- Open Label Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Patients With Alopecia Areata (Phase 2)
- The Safety and Efficacy of Transanal Irrigation in Patients With Sleep Disturbance From Low Anterior Resection Syndrome After Rectal Cancer Surgery: A Multicenter Prospective Randomized Controlled Tri (NA)
Primary sources
Every claim on this page is sourced from regulatory or scientific primary sources. See our editorial policy for full methodology.
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| FDA label | Mechanism, indications, dosing, boxed warnings, drug interactions |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | Trial enrolment, design, endpoints, results |
Competitive intelligence
For the full competitive landscape — auto-detected comparators, recent regulatory actions across the set, upcoming PDUFA, patent timeline, sponsor landscape:
- Imodium CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Imodium updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Johnson & Johnson (McNeil Consumer Healthcare) portfolio CI