The message: If a woman has abdominal pain, bloating and constipation ("the ABC's of IBS"), she should go see a doctor because a new treatment (Zelnorm) is available.
Making matters more difficult for Novartis is the fact that the last drug for IBS, GlaxoSmithKline 's (nyse: GSK - news - people ) Lotronex, was recalled because of dangerous side effects.
GlaxoSmithKline (nyse: GSK - news - people ), the world's second-biggest drugmaker, developed a medicine called Lotronex that treated IBS marked by diarrhea, but the drug was withdrawn from the market for safety reasons.