Treatment of small intestine bacterial overgrowth with rifaximin, a non-absorbable rifamycin.

In twelve patients affected by small bowel bacterial overgrowth, diagnosed by means of the lactulose hydrogen breath test, the therapeutic efficacy of a non-absorbable derivative of rifamycin, rifaximin, was evaluated. This study showed that this drug has a satisfactory therapeutic efficacy in contaminated small bowel syndrome and, at the doses tested, is free of side-effects.