Racecadotril, also known as acetorphan, is an antidiarrheal medicine which acts as a peripherally acting enkephalinase inhibitor. Unlike other medications used to treat diarrhea, which reduce intestinal motility, racecadotril has an antisecretory effect—it reduces the secretion of water and electrolytes into the intestine.
It is available in France (where it was first introduced in ~1990) and other European countries (including Germany, Italy, the UK, Spain and the Czech Republic) as well as most of South America and some South East Asian countries (including China, India and Thailand), but not in the United States. It is sold under the tradenames Hidrasec or, in France, Tiorfan.
In Italy it is sold under the tradename Tiorfix. In India it's available as Redotril. Thiorphan is the active metabolite of racecadotril, which exerts the bulk of its inhibitory actions on enkephalinase
Racecadotril is rapidly absorbed after oral administration and doses of 30 mg, 100 mg and 300 mg reached Cmax within 60 min. Food does not affect bioavailability of Racecadotril. Racecadotril is rapidly and effectively metabolized to the active metabolite thiorphan which inhibits enkephainase enzyme and exhibits anti-secretory effect.