RedHill GI-soothing pill targets weight-loss, cancer drug side effects

An Israeli pharmaceutical company with U.S. headquarters in Raleigh says it’s on track to seek regulatory approval for potentially lucrative new uses of its variation on a common gastrointestinal drug.

RedHill Biopharma says it’s getting good results in clinical trials using ondansetron pills to help alleviate side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea among people using the blockbuster GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound.

It’s a new version of ondansetron, a prominent GlaxoSmithKline GI drug for nausea and vomiting that the British drug company branded as Zofran when it hit the market in 1990. Because RedHill’s version is essentially a tweak of a 35-year-old base drug, it says it plans to use the accelerated FDA 505(b)(2) route to speed regulatory approval in the U.S.

A KFF Health Tracking Poll released in November 2025 reported that about one in five adults (18%) said they have tried a GLP-1 drug at some point. A smaller percentage -- one in eight -- said they are currently taking one of the GLP-1 drugs.

RedHill says estimates suggest up to half of new users discontinue the weekly injections within three months, potentially costing an estimated $35 billion in lost market value by 2030. The KFF poll reported that 14% said they quit using the treatments because of their cost. A similar 13% cited the drugs’ side effects as their reason for quitting. Only about 5% said they stopped because their condition improved.

The company says it’s well-positioned to address the unpleasant GI side effects that are a key reason people stop taking the GLP-1s.

RedHill is developing its oral formulation of ondansetron as RHB-102, brand-named Bekinda, a once-daily extended-release oral tablet targeting “oncology support, acute gastroenteritis and gastritis, IBS-D and GLP-1/GIP-associated gastrointestinal side effects.” GIP is an abbreviation for gastric inhibitory polypeptides -- gut hormones involved in appetite regulation and insulin secretion.

Later in 2026, the company plans to initiate a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study in GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist therapy-associated GI side effects, which it believes will add to the weight of evidence supporting approval of Bekinda in multiple GI indications.

“RHB-102’s once-daily oral profile may improve titration success, which we believe may result in reaching and maintaining optimal GLP-1 receptor agonist doses, said Terry Plasse, M.D., RedHill’s medical director, in a statement released by the company.

“The overall aim is to help patients navigate the ‘danger zone’ early months of therapy, where GI-side effects, like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, are most prevalent. Ultimately, the target is to see fewer patients coming off GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist therapies before they have the chance to deliver their full potential.”

RedHill is already marketing one product, Talacia, in a co-commercialization agreement in the U.S. with Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. Talacia is an oral therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection in adults.

The company also promotes Movantik, which it bought from AstraZeneca in 2020, to treat opioid-induced constipation in adults.

RedHill was established in 2009 in Tel Aviv and opened its U.S. headquarters in Raleigh in 2017. The company's 30 employees, half in North America, focus on the late clinical-stage development and commercialization of drugs to treat gastrointestinal diseases and cancer-related conditions. Its shares trade on the Nasdaq (symbol RDHL) and Tel Aviv stock exchanges.