An overview of the efficacy and safety of prucalopride for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation.

Introduction: Chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) is a kind of constipation in which the patient experiences constipation more than 3 months without any identifiable cause. Prucalopride is one such treatment considered for relieving symptoms of CIC regarding due to its selectivity for the 5HT4 receptor.Areas covered: This article is based on a PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov search for studies undertaken over the past 19 years (2000-2019) using the following keywords either alone or in combination: Prucalopride, chronic idiopathic constipation, chronic constipation, 5HT4 receptor, Resolor and Motegrity.Expert opinion: Prucalopride should be considered as one of the safe options for the treatment of CIC especially when previous treatments have failed. It can be helpful in the treatment of constipation caused by irritable bowel syndrome or spinal cord injury, opioid-induced constipation, post-operative ileus, and intestinal/colonic pseudo-obstruction. The major drawback of prucalopride is its high cost, which makes it less accessible to all patients.