About Imodium
Imodium is a leading anti-diarrhoea medication developed in the 1960s at Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Belgian pharmaceutical company founded by the renowned Dr. Paul Janssen and now part of Johnson & Johnson. The active ingredient loperamide was first synthesised in 1969, and Imodium was launched as a brand in 1973, receiving US FDA approval in December 1976. Dr. Paul Janssen created Imodium to deliver trustworthy and effective relief to people suffering from diarrhoea. The medication works by slowing gut movement, reducing the number of bowel movements and making stools less watery. Loperamide is now recognised as an essential medicine, appearing on the World Health Organisation's List of Essential Medicines. During the 1980s, Imodium became the best-selling prescription antidiarrheal in the United States. Originally available only by prescription, it became an over-the-counter medication in 1988, making effective diarrhoea relief accessible to more people. The product range expanded in 1997 with Imodium Multi-Symptom Relief, combining loperamide with simethicone to treat both diarrhoea and gas. In the UK, Imodium remains one of the biggest-selling branded over-the-counter medications, with sales of £32.7 million recorded in 2016. The brand's trusted heritage spanning over 50 years, combined with its proven effectiveness, has established Imodium as the go-to diarrhoea treatment in British medicine cabinets.