Anti-constipation drug could reduce risk of depression
Study finds that serotonin 4 receptor agonist licenced as laxative led to lower incidence of depression compared to two alternative drugs
Patients who have taken a licenced drug for constipation have had fewer incidences of depression compared to other types of similar drugs, leading to hopes that the medicine could be used to treat major depressive disorder.
In a new paper published in BJPsych it is suggested that a specific anti-constipation drug, prucalopride (which is also known as Resolor) may reduce the risk of experiencing depression in individuals with no past history of mental illness.
A group of researchers from University of Oxford , University College London and University of Birmingham supported by the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, used anonymised data from USA electronic health records and conducted a target trial comparing depression incidence over 1 year in individuals treated with prucalopride versus two alternative anti-constipation medications, linaclotide and lubiprostone.
It was found that treatment with prucalopride was associated with significantly lower incidence of depression in the following year compared to the other two medications.
Lead researcher on the study, NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the Institute for Mental Health at the University of Birmingham and Visiting Clinical Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford Angharad de Cates said:
“This study adds to the growing evidence base that drugs affecting the serotonin-4 receptor (such as the common laxative, prucalopride) hold promise as a novel way to treat depression. Alongside our previous data, this suggests that the next step is to consider large-scale clinical trials to assess if these medications can serve as a new class of antidepressants.
“The additional finding that prucalopride may help to reduce the risk of psychosis is very exciting, and we will investigate this with further research to see if these agents may have the potential for even broader clinical impact.”
These findings support the requirement for further research to confirm if prucalopride can be used as a new class of antidepressant medication.
You can read the full article on the British Journal of Psychiatry website.
Notes for editors
Notes for editors
-
For media enquiries please contact Tim Mayo, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel: +44 (0)7815 607 157.
- The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
- The University of Birmingham is a founding member of Birmingham Health Partners (BHP), a strategic alliance which transcends organisational boundaries to rapidly translate healthcare research findings into new diagnostics, drugs and devices for patients. Birmingham Health Partners is a strategic alliance between seven organisations who collaborate to bring healthcare innovations through to clinical application:
- University of Birmingham
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
- Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Aston University
- The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
- West Midlands Academic Health Science Network
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
About the National Institute for Health and Care Research
The mission of the NIHR is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
- Funding high-quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
- Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
- Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
- NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.