Travelan is a commercially available medicinal product used to prevent traveller's diarrhoea. Travelan is manufactured and sold in Australia, and is only available in the United States by purchasing online.

Mechanism of action

The product is a proprietary mix of antibodies against the common strains of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is a type of Escherichia coli and the leading bacterial cause of diarrhea in the developing world, as well as the most common cause of traveler's diarrhea. Each year, approximately 210 million cases and 380,000 deaths occur, mostly in children, from ETEC...

 (ETEC) involved in causing travellers diarrhoea, and is taken in pill form before each meal while on holiday. Travelan underwent stringent double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials in Europe and the United States, which showed it is effective in preventing TD in up to 90% of people. The antibodies work to inhibit the ETEC's attachment to the intestinal wall, thus preventing their colonisation of the bowel.

Manufacture

Travelan is made naturally from cow's colostrum

Colostrum

Colostrum is a form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals in late pregnancy. Most species will generate colostrum just prior to giving birth...

 (breast-milk), following immunisation of the cow to the pertinent strains of ETEC. Travelan is made by Australian biotech company Immuron and as such, the colostrum is harvested from Australian dairy cows.

Controversy

In 2004, it was reported that Travelan was queried before its release by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) because of reports it contained Citrus x paradisi, a preservative ingredient that may have contained high levels of a toxic chemical, benzethonium chloride, which is commonly used as an industrial cleaner and disinfectant. . The Travelan product continued to its market release in Australia in 2005 as the commercial formulation registered in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods as "Travelan" (Aust L 106709) does not contain the Citrus x paradisi preservative in question.