Clinical Gut Health Intelligence
Providing the latest research on the original De Simone Formulation (CDS22) and high-potency microbiome support in the UK. All content is clinically reviewed to ensure accuracy for patients and healthcare professionals.
The UK’s Specialist Hub for Probiotic Evidence & Gut Health Research
Welcome to the Probiotics UK & Gut Health Knowledge Hub, the central resource for evidence-based research on the original De Simone Formulation (CDS22). This hub provides UK readers, patients, and healthcare professionals with clinical guides, high-potency strain comparisons, and the latest gastroenterology updates dispatched from our Lancashire facility.
Probiotic.co.uk publishes UK-focused guides on probiotics, microbiome science, and digestive health. Articles reference guidance from the NHS, UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) regulations on food supplements, and peer-reviewed clinical research in gastroenterology and microbiome science where relevant.
Our editorial focus includes probiotics for IBS, ulcerative colitis, pouchitis, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, microbiome restoration after antibiotics, and general digestive health support. Many guides discuss the Original De Simone Formulation (CDS22), a high-strength probiotic formulation studied in more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Content is written for UK readers and reflects UK supplement regulations, NHS clinical pathways, and real-world patient questions commonly seen in gastroenterology practice. From our cold-chain facility in Chorley, Lancashire, we monitor developments in gut microbiome research and translate emerging science into clear guidance for clinicians, pharmacists, and informed consumers across the UK.
Looking for a VSL3 alternative in the UK? The original De Simone Formulation — the 8-strain probiotic blend used in over 80 clinical trials and referenced in ECCO IBD guidelines — was once sold as VSL#3, then as Vivomixx. It is now available in the UK as CDS22-formula. Same strains. Same 450 billion CFU potency. New name. This guide explains the full brand history, the 2016 commercial split, and why CDS22 is the only product in the UK today carrying the original clinically-studied De Simone Formulation.
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Intensive bowel support protocols use high-CFU multi-strain probiotics during active flares of IBD, IBS, and pouchitis, with the De Simone formulation studied at doses up to 3,600 billion CFU in clinical trials. CDS22 is available in the UK at 450 billion CFU per sachet and 112 billion CFU per capsule, making it the highest-potency De Simone formulation accessible to UK patients.
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The De Simone formulation is the only probiotic referenced in ECCO IBD guidelines for ulcerative colitis and pouchitis, with remission data from multiple randomised controlled trials including Gionchetti 2000 and Mimura 2004. CDS22 contains the original 8 De Simone strains at 450 billion CFU and is the only UK product carrying this clinically studied formulation.
Read more- CDS22 contains 8 strains from the original De Simone formulation developed by Professor Claudio De Simone
- The formulation has been studied in over 80 peer-reviewed publications for IBS, ulcerative colitis, and pouchitis
- Referenced in ECCO IBD guidelines and American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) clinical guidance
- The original formulation was previously marketed in the UK as VSL#3 and Vivomixx
- Following a 2016 US court ruling, the De Simone IP was separated from the VSL#3 brand
- CDS22 is the only UK product carrying the original 8-strain formula at 450 billion CFU per sachet
- Available exclusively in the UK from Probiotic.co.uk, dispatched from Chorley, Lancashire