WASHINGTON – The maker of a popular new treatment for women’s irritable bowel syndrome pulled the drug Lotronex off the market Tuesday after it was linked to a growing number of deaths and hospitalizations.

The withdrawal by Glaxo Wellcome Inc. comes just nine months after Lotronex began selling with great fanfare.

The problem: Lotronex can cause severe side effects, including a life-threatening intestinal inflammation called ischemic colitis.