Efficacy and safety of prucalopride in adults and children with chronic constipation.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Chronic constipation (CC) is a debilitating condition with high prevalence rates both in children and adults. Despite the broad range of medical and pharmaceutical treatments, the bowel function does not restore in a fair amount of patients. Prucalopride is a first-in-class selective, high affinity serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine type 4 (5-HT4) receptor agonist promoting gastro-intestinal prokinetic activity and has been evaluated for the treatment of CC.

AREAS COVERED:

A PubMed search (1965 - 2014) using the following terms alone or in combination: prucalopride, 5-HT4, R093877, safety, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, transit, cardiac, human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG), arrhythmia, potassium current, elderly, children.

EXPERT OPINION:

Prucalopride, a highly selective 5-HT4 receptor agonist, stimulates gastrointestinal motility and has been proven to be effective in the treatment of CC in adults by increasing stool frequency, reducing constipation-related symptoms and improving quality of life (QoL). The safety and tolerability have been proven to be excellent. More research would be preferable on the effect of prucalopride on men, children and in other gastrointestinal motility disorders.

• Authors: Kay Diederen, Suzanne Marian Mugie, Marc Alexander Benninga
• Journal: Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy (Expert Opin Pharmacother) Vol. 16 Issue 3 Pg. 407-16 (Feb 2015) ISSN: 1744-7666 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25539475 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Benzofurans
• Serotonin 5-HT4 Receptor Agonists
• prucalopride

Topics

• Adult
• Benzofurans (adverse effects, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Child
• Chronic Disease
• Constipation (drug therapy, physiopathology, psychology)
• Gastrointestinal Motility (drug effects)
• Humans
• Quality of Life
• Serotonin 5-HT4 Receptor Agonists (adverse effects, pharmacology, therapeutic use)