Prucalopride, sold under brand names Resolor and Motegrity among others, is a
medication
Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...
acting as a selective, high affinity
5-HT4 receptor agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...
which targets the impaired motility associated with chronic
constipation
Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...
, thus normalizing bowel movements.
Prucalopride was approved for medical use in the European Union in 2009,
in Canada in 2011, in Israel in 2014, and in the United States in December 2018. The drug has also been tested for the treatment of
chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction
Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is a very rare syndrome with chronic and recurrent symptoms that suggest intestinal obstruction in the absence of any mechanical blockage of the lumen. The most common symptoms of CIPO include abdominal ...
.
Medical uses
The primary measure of efficacy in the clinical trials is three or more spontaneous complete bowel movements per week; a secondary measure is an increase of at least one complete spontaneous bowel movement per week.
Further measures are improvements in PAC-QOL (a quality of life measure) and PAC-SYM (a range of
stool,
abdominal
The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...
, and
rectal
The rectum (: rectums or recta) is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the Gastrointestinal tract, gut in others. Before expulsion through the anus or cloaca, the rectum stores the feces te ...
symptoms associated with chronic constipation). Infrequent bowel movements,
bloating
Abdominal bloating (or simply bloating) is a short-term disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Bloating is generally characterized by an excess buildup of gas, air or fluids in the stomach. A person may have feelings of tightness, pressu ...
, straining,
abdominal pain
Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom associated with both non-serious and serious medical issues. Since the abdomen contains most of the body's vital organs, it can be an indicator of a wide variety of diseases. Given th ...
, and defecation urge with inability to evacuate can be severe symptoms, significantly affecting quality of life.
In three large clinical trials, 12 weeks of treatment with prucalopride 2 and 4 mg/day resulted in a significantly higher proportion of patients reaching the primary efficacy endpoint of an average of ≥3 spontaneous complete bowel movements than with
placebo
A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
.
There was also significantly improved bowel habit and associated symptoms, patient satisfaction with bowel habit and treatment, and HR-QOL in patients with severe chronic constipation, including those who did not experience adequate relief with prior therapies (>80% of the trial participants).
The improvement in patient satisfaction with bowel habit and treatment was maintained during treatment for up to 24 months; prucalopride therapy was generally well tolerated.
Small clinical trials suggested that prucalopride administration results in the 5-HT
4 receptor agonism-associated memory enhancing in healthy participants improving their ability to recall and increasing neural activation in the hippocampus and functionally related areas.
Contraindications
Prucalopride is contraindicated where there is
hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) is an abnormal physiological condition in which there is an undesirable and adverse immune response to an antigen. It is an abnormality in the immune system that causes Imm ...
to the active substance or to any of the
excipients
An excipient is a substance formulated alongside the active ingredient of a medication. They may be used to enhance the active ingredient’s therapeutic properties; to facilitate drug absorption; to reduce viscosity; to enhance solubility; to i ...
,
renal impairment
Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...
requiring dialysis,
intestinal
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. T ...
perforation
A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...
or
obstruction due to structural or functional disorder of the gut wall, obstructive ileus, severe inflammatory conditions of the
intestinal tract
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...
, such as
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...
, and
ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary sympto ...
and
toxic megacolon
Toxic megacolon is an acute form of colonic distension. It is characterized by a very dilated Colon (anatomy), colon (megacolon), accompanied by abdominal distension (bloating), and sometimes fever, abdominal pain, or Shock (circulatory), shock.
...
/megarectum.
Side effects
Prucalopride has been given orally to ~2700 patients with chronic constipation in controlled clinical trials. The most frequently reported side effects are
headache
A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...
and
gastrointestinal symptom
Gastrointestinal diseases (abbrev. GI diseases or GI illnesses) refer to diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, namely the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum; and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, ...
s (abdominal pain,
nausea
Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat.
Over 30 d ...
or
diarrhea
Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...
). Such reactions occur predominantly at the start of therapy and usually disappear within a few days with continued treatment.
Mechanism of action
Prucalopride, a first in class dihydro-benzofuran-carboxamide, is a selective, high affinity
serotonin
Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...
(
5-HT4) receptor agonist with enterokinetic activities.
[SmPC. Summary of product characteristics Resolor (prucalopride) October 2009: 1-9.] Prucalopride alters colonic motility patterns via serotonin 5-HT
4 receptor stimulation: it stimulates colonic mass movements, which provide the main propulsive force for
defecation
Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion and is the necessary biological process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid metabolic waste, waste material known as feces (or faeces) from the digestive tract via the anus o ...
.
The observed effects are exerted via highly selective action on 5-HT
4 receptors:
prucalopride has >150-fold higher affinity for 5-HT
4 receptors than for other receptors.
Prucalopride differs from other 5-HT
4 agonists such as
tegaserod
Tegaserod is a 5-HT4 agonist manufactured by Novartis and sold under the names Zelnorm and Zelmac for the management of irritable bowel syndrome and constipation. Approved by the FDA in 2002, it was subsequently removed from the market in 2007 d ...
and
cisapride
Cisapride is a gastroprokinetic agent, a drug that increases motility in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It acts directly as a serotonin 5-HT4 receptor agonist and indirectly as a parasympathomimetic. Stimulation of the serotonin receptors incr ...
, which at therapeutic concentrations also interact with other receptors (5-HT
1B/D and the cardiac
human ether-a-go-go K+ or hERG channel respectively) and this may account for the adverse
cardiovascular
In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart a ...
events that have resulted in the restricted availability of these drugs.
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...
evaluating the effect of prucalopride on QT interval and related adverse events have not demonstrated significant differences compared with placebo.
Pharmacokinetics
Prucalopride is rapidly absorbed (
Cmax attained 2–3 hours after single 2 mg oral dose) and is extensively distributed.
Metabolism
Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the co ...
is not the major route of elimination. ''In vitro'', human liver metabolism is very slow and only minor amounts of
metabolite
In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism.
The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...
s are found. A large fraction of the active substance is excreted unchanged (about 60% of the administered dose in
urine
Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penile meatus (mal ...
and at least 6% in
feces
Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...
).
Renal excretion of unchanged prucalopride involves both passive filtration and active secretion. Plasma clearance averages 317 ml/min, terminal half-life is 24–30 hours, and steady-state is reached within 3–4 days. On once daily treatment with 2 mg prucalopride, steady-state plasma concentrations fluctuate between trough and peak values of 2.5 and 7 ng/ml, respectively.
''In vitro'' data indicate that prucalopride has a low interaction potential, and therapeutic concentrations of prucalopride are not expected to affect the CYP-mediated metabolism of co-medicated medicinal products.
Approval
In the
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...
, prucalopride was originally approved for the
symptomatic treatment
Symptomatic treatment, supportive care, supportive therapy, or palliative treatment is any medical therapy of a disease that only affects its symptoms, not the underlying cause. It is usually aimed at reducing the signs and symptoms for the com ...
of chronic constipation in women in whom
laxatives
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen human feces, stools and increase defecation, bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. ...
fail to provide adequate relief.
Subsequently, it has been approved by the European Commission for use in adults – that is, including male patients – for the same indication.
References
{{Authority control
Motility stimulants
Serotonin receptor agonists
Benzofurans
Piperidines
4-Amino-N-(3-(diethylamino)propyl)-2-methoxybenzamides
Chloroarenes