ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 8, 2016 /CNW/ — ExeGi Pharma, LLC, announced today that Visbiome™, a high potency probiotic, is now available in Canada. Visbiome contains a proprietary blend of eight strains of live beneficial bacteria and is available in concentrations of 450 billion colony forming units (CFUs) bacteria per sachet. The innovative formulation in Visbiome (the “De Simone Formulation”) was originally invented by Professor Claudio De Simone, MD, more than 20 years ago and has been subject to extensive research in 60 studies and more than 170 scientific publications.

Visbiome is a probiotic that delivers probiotic bacteria in high concentrations, which helps normalize the gut flora in pouchitis patients. Visbiome is also used to reduce the risk of relapse in pouchitis patients. In conjunction with mesalamine, it can also help reduce the Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index (UCDAI) by half within six weeks in patients with mild to moderate active ulcerative colitis.

Visbiome is currently undergoing additional clinical studies in a variety of conditions, including two large trials designed to evaluate Visbiome’s potential in reducing damaging systemic inflammation of HIV positive patients. One of these studies is funded by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canadian HIV Trials Network and is currently recruiting patients in two sites in Toronto.

“Visbiome has a proven track record of helping patients successfully treat and manage challenging gastroenterological conditions,” said Marc Tewey, chief executive officer of ExeGi Pharma. “Now that Visbiome is available to patients inCanada, healthcare professionals have an important new tool to help their patients stabilize their conditions.”

“The availability of Visbiome in Canada is a great asset for patients looking to successfully manage their pouchitis and ulcerative colitis symptoms,” said Karen Madsen, PhD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, University of Alberta and director of the Centre of Excellence for Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Immunity Research. “From my experience studying the impact of the De Simone Formulation, I have seen the benefits that it can have for patients looking for a sustained solution.”

Visbiome’s Regular and Unflavoured sachets are now available in Canada through the website, www.visbiome.ca. For more information, please visit www.visbiome.ca or call 844-GUT-HEAL (844-488-4325).

About Visbiome™

Visbiome™ is a probiotic consisting of eight strains of live, freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria. Data show that the De Simone Formulation, found in Visbiome, helps maintain the appropriate balance of beneficial bacteria in the bowel of pouchitis patients and reduces the risk of relapse in pouchitis. The formulation that makes up Visbiome is currently being investigated in more than 20 trials around the globe. Patients should consult with a physician before taking Visbiome. Natural Product Number: NPN 80061901.

About ExeGi Pharma

ExeGi Pharma, LLC is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of live biotherapeutic and probiotic medicines. ExeGi’s team leverages the growing advances in the field of microbiome science to deliver novel clinically supported live biotherapeutic and probiotic treatments for a wide variety of unmet medical needs.