IBS - Irritable Bowel SyndromePhase 3NCT05815602
Ebastine Versus Mebeverine in IBS Patients
A Phase 3 study testing Ebastine and Duspatalin in people with IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome and IBS, run by Guy Boeckxstaens at 5 sites in Belgium.
Trial summary
Multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial comparing ebastine and mebeverine as treatment of irritable bowel syndrome Trial rationale 1. To perform a randomized superiority trial comparing the clinical efficacy of ebastine and mebeverine 2. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS
- What is being tested?
- Ebastine and Duspatalin
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 5 sitesBelgium
- Study dates
- 30 Mar 2023to 1 Jan 2028
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Voluntary written informed consent of the participant or their legally authorized representative has been obtained prior to any screening procedures
- Patients fulfilling the Rome IV criteria for non-constipated IBS (IBS-C subtypes will be excluded)
- No organic cause that can explain the presenting symptoms (exclusion of coeliac disease (blood), lactose intolerance (breath test), inflammatory bowel disease and giardiasis (stool)
- Patients with lactose intolerance can be included if no improvement on lactose free diet during 6 weeks
- Age 18-65
Who cannot join
- History of coeliac disease, food allergy, giardiasis, inflammatory bowel disease, infectious gastroenteritis, motility disorder, serious liver kidney cardiac or pulmonary disease, known cardiac rhythm disorders, insuline-dependent diabetes, psychiatric diseases
- Pregnancy, breast feeding
- Medication: the use of antidepressants or antipsychotics, anti-allergic medication or drugs affecting gastrointestinal motility / visceral sensitivity (anti-cholinergics, antispasmodics, 5-HT3 antagonists, 5-HT4 agonists, loperamide, codeine, laxatives, analgesics: only paracetamol is allowed as analgetic, other analgesics are forbidden.), CYP3A4-inducing and inhibiting drugs. Potent inhibitors of CYP3A4 include clarithromycin, erythromycin, diltiazem, itraconazole, ketoconazole, ritonavir, verapamil, goldenseal and grapefruit. Inducers of CYP3A4 include phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifampicin, St. John's Wort and glucocorticoids.
- Symptoms started following abdominal surgery
- IBS constipation dominant (IBS-C)
- Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1 of the SmPC of the respective medicinal products
Trial locations and contacts
5 sites in 1 country.
5 sites in 1 country
Belgium5 sites
GZA
Antwerp, Antwerpen, 2000
UZA
Antwerp, Antwerpen, 2000
AZ St-Lucas
Bruges, West-Vlaanderen, 8310
UZLeuven
Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, 3000
AZ St-Maarten
Mechelen, Antwerpen, 2800
About this study
Official title: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Comparing Ebastine and Mebeverine as Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial comparing ebastine and mebeverine as treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
Trial rationale
Read more
- To perform a randomized superiority trial comparing the clinical efficacy of ebastine and mebeverine
- To evaluate the impact of treatment with ebastine compared to mebeverine on quality of life and quality-adjusted life years
Primary objective To provide further evidence of the superiority of histamine 1 receptor antagonism as novel treatment for patients with non-constipated IBS, as compared to mebeverine, one of the spasmolytics currently used as first line treatment of IBS.
Secondary objective(s) To provide evidence that the histamine 1 receptor antagonist ebastine is more effective in reducing abdominal pain compared to the commonly used antispasmodic mebeverine
- Conditions
- IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS
- Being tested
- Ebastine, Duspatalin
- Keywords
- ebastine, duspatalin, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Medical subject headings
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
EbastineDrug
Randomized subjects will administer 4 pills of study medication per day during 12 weeks.
Daily administration schedule consists of taking 2 pills in the morning (1 verum, and 1 placebo). In the evening, subjects will take a second dose of both verum and placebo.
DuspatalinDrug
Randomized subjects will administer 4 pills of study medication per day during 12 weeks.
Daily administration schedule consists of taking 2 pills in the morning (1 verum, and 1 placebo). In the evening, subjects will take a second dose of both verum and placebo.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Ebastine verum and duspatalin placebo | Experimental | Not described Receives: Drug: Ebastine |
| Duspatalin verum and ebastine placebo | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Drug: Duspatalin |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Clinical Response to Abdominal Pain Intensity
The primary endpoint is defined as Clinical Response to Abdominal Pain Intensity and Global Relief of Symptoms. A clinical responder is defined to be a Weekly Responder for both Abdominal Pain Intensity and Global Relief of Symptoms for at least 3 out of the 6 last weeks of treatment.
Abdominal Pain Intensity is assessed daily by the subject during the 14 days prior to (run-in) and following (run-out) randomization and for 12 weeks during treatment, using a 10-point scale. For each week during and following treatment, an average pain score is calculated. Then %change from the mean baseline will be calculated. An Abdominal Pain Intensity Weekly Responder is defined as a subject who had a decrease of >=30% compared with baseline.
Measured: 12 weeks of study medication administration
Clinical Response to Global Relief of Symptoms
Global Relief of Symptoms is assessed on a weekly basis using a 7-point scale for 12 weeks during treatment and run-out: a Weekly Responder is defined if he has total or obvious relief of symptoms.
Measured: 12 weeks of study medication administration
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Apr 2023
- Study start30 Mar 2023
- Primary completion1 Oct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jan 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for IBS - Irritable Bowel SyndromeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Guy Boeckxstaens
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders, Belgium
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Guy Boeckxstaens, KU Leuven
- Investigators
- Guy Boeckxstaens, prof. dr., Principal investigator, KU Leuven
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05815602
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- S67029
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Apr 2023
- Last updated
- 11 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Comparing Ebastine and Mebeverine as Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05815602
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- S67029
- Conditions
- IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS
- Keywords
- ebastine, duspatalin, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Guy BoeckxstaensUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders, Belgium
- Study start
- 30 Mar 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Oct 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Jan 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 18 Apr 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial comparing ebastine and mebeverine as treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
Trial rationale
- To perform a randomized superiority trial comparing the clinical efficacy of ebastine and mebeverine
- To evaluate the impact of treatment with ebastine compared to mebeverine on quality of life and quality-adjusted life years
Primary objective To provide further evidence of the superiority of histamine 1 receptor antagonism as novel treatment for patients with non-constipated IBS, as compared to mebeverine, one of the spasmolytics currently used as first line treatment of IBS.
Secondary objective(s) To provide evidence that the histamine 1 receptor antagonist ebastine is more effective in reducing abdominal pain compared to the commonly used antispasmodic mebeverine
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Ebastine verum and duspatalin placebo | Experimental | Drug: Ebastine |
| Duspatalin verum and ebastine placebo | Active comparator | Drug: Duspatalin |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Voluntary written informed consent of the participant or their legally authorized representative has been obtained prior to any screening procedures
- Patients fulfilling the Rome IV criteria for non-constipated IBS (IBS-C subtypes will be excluded)
- No organic cause that can explain the presenting symptoms (exclusion of coeliac disease (blood), lactose intolerance (breath test), inflammatory bowel disease and giardiasis (stool)
- Patients with lactose intolerance can be included if no improvement on lactose free diet during 6 weeks
- Age 18-65
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- History of coeliac disease, food allergy, giardiasis, inflammatory bowel disease, infectious gastroenteritis, motility disorder, serious liver kidney cardiac or pulmonary disease, known cardiac rhythm disorders, insuline-dependent diabetes, psychiatric diseases
- Pregnancy, breast feeding
- Medication: the use of antidepressants or antipsychotics, anti-allergic medication or drugs affecting gastrointestinal motility / visceral sensitivity (anti-cholinergics, antispasmodics, 5-HT3 antagonists, 5-HT4 agonists, loperamide, codeine, laxatives, analgesics: only paracetamol is allowed as analgetic, other analgesics are forbidden.), CYP3A4-inducing and inhibiting drugs. Potent inhibitors of CYP3A4 include clarithromycin, erythromycin, diltiazem, itraconazole, ketoconazole, ritonavir, verapamil, goldenseal and grapefruit. Inducers of CYP3A4 include phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifampicin, St. John's Wort and glucocorticoids.
- Symptoms started following abdominal surgery
- IBS constipation dominant (IBS-C)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| EbastineRandomized subjects will administer 4 pills of study medication per day during 12 weeks. Daily administration schedule consists of taking 2 pills in the morning (1 verum, and 1 placebo). In the evening, subjects will take a second dose of both verum and placebo. | Drug | Ebastine verum and duspatalin placebo |
| DuspatalinRandomized subjects will administer 4 pills of study medication per day during 12 weeks. Daily administration schedule consists of taking 2 pills in the morning (1 verum, and 1 placebo). In the evening, subjects will take a second dose of both verum and placebo. | Drug | Duspatalin verum and ebastine placebo |
Primary outcome
Clinical Response to Abdominal Pain Intensity
Time frame: 12 weeks of study medication administration
The primary endpoint is defined as Clinical Response to Abdominal Pain Intensity and Global Relief of Symptoms. A clinical responder is defined to be a Weekly Responder for both Abdominal Pain Intensity and Global Relief of Symptoms for at least 3 out of the 6 last weeks of treatment. Abdominal Pain Intensity is assessed daily by the subject during the 14 days prior to (run-in) and following (run-out) randomization and for 12 weeks during treatment, using a 10-point scale. For each week during and following treatment, an average pain score is calculated. Then %change from the mean baseline will be calculated. An Abdominal Pain Intensity Weekly Responder is defined as a subject who had a decrease of >=30% compared with baseline.
Clinical Response to Global Relief of Symptoms
Time frame: 12 weeks of study medication administration
Global Relief of Symptoms is assessed on a weekly basis using a 7-point scale for 12 weeks during treatment and run-out: a Weekly Responder is defined if he has total or obvious relief of symptoms.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Guy Boeckxstaens, prof. dr. principal investigator
KU Leuven
5 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 3 study testing Ebastine and Duspatalin in people with IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome and IBS, run by Guy Boeckxstaens at 5 sites in Belgium.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 5 sites in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Clinical Response to Abdominal Pain Intensity (time frame: 12 weeks of study medication administration). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Sep 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.