Linaclotide

Linaclotide (sold under the brand name Linzess in the US and Mexico, and as Constella elsewhere) is a drug used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic constipation with no known cause. It has a black box warning about the risk of serious dehydration in children in the US; the most common adverse effects in others include diarrhea. It is an oligopeptide agonist of guanylate cyclase 2C and remains in the GI tract after it is taken by mouth. It was approved in the US and the European Union in 2012. It is marketed by Abbvie (formerly Allergan) in the United States and by Astellas in Asia; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals was the originator. In 2023, it was the 178th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 2 million prescriptions.