Dificlir

Product Overview

About Dificlir

Dificlir is available as tablets (200 mg) or granules for oral suspension (40 mg/ml) and can only be obtained with a prescription.

What it is used for

Not available in the provided information.

How it is used

Dificlir can only be obtained with a prescription. In adults and children weighing at least 12.5 kg, the recommended dose is 200 mg twice a day (every 12 hours) for 10 days. For children weighing less than 12.5 kg, the dose depends on the bodyweight. For more information about using Dificlir, see the package leaflet or contact your doctor or pharmacist.

How it works

C. difficile are bacteria that are present naturally in the gut and do not cause any problems in healthy people. This is because they are kept under control by other ‘good’ bacteria which are beneficial to the body and enhance health. However, some antibiotics that are used to treat infections can interfere with the balance and kill the 'good' bacteria in the gut. When this happens, C. difficile bacteria can multiply and produce toxins (poisons) which cause illness such as diarrhoea and fever. At this point, a person is said to be infected with C. difficile. The active substance in Dificlir, fidaxomicin, is an antibiotic that belongs to the class of macrocylic antibiotics. When it is swallowed most of the active substance does not get absorbed into the blood stream but acts locally on C. difficile bacteria in the gut. It works by blocking the bacterial enzyme RNA polymerase, which is used to produce the genetic material that the bacteria need to make proteins. This stops the C. difficile bacteria from growing and multiplying, thereby reducing the symptoms of the disease.

Active substance: fidaxomicin

Source: EMA EPAR