Synergy wins U.S. approval for constipation drug

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it had approved Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc's drug to treat chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). (http://bit.ly/2k5wNlA) CIC is a type of gastrointestinal disorder where individuals have difficult and infrequent bowel movements. The once-daily tablet, plecanatide, is the company's first to win regulatory clearance. The drug is also being evaluated to treat patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Synergy's plecanatide is expected to generate peak sales of $348.8 million by 2021, according to Thomson Reuters Cortellis. (Reporting by Divya Grover in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Dipika Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)