Review article: the safety and efficacy of alosetron, a 5‐HT3 receptor antagonist, in female irritable bowel syndrome patients

• Published in: Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics Vol. 13; pp. 77 - 82
• Main Authors: Mangel, A.W., Northcutt, A.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.05.1999
• Subjects: Abdominal Pain; Carbolines - therapeutic use; Colonic Diseases, Functional - drug therapy; Colonic Diseases, Functional - physiopathology; Female; Humans; Male; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Reproducibility of Results; Serotonin Antagonists - therapeutic use; Sex Characteristics
• ISSN: 0269-2813; 1365-2036
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2036.1999.00010.x

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal‐related conditions. In this review, the safety and efficacy of alosetron, a potent and selective 5‐HT3 receptor antagonist, in the treatment of IBS are discussed. Alosetron has been shown to produce statistically significant improvements in abdominal pain, stool consistency, stool frequency and urgency in female IBS patients. By contrast, no consistent improvement has been seen in male IBS patients treated with alosetron. The only adverse event of note with alosetron was constipation, and this represents a class effect of 5‐HT3 receptor antagonists. In conclusion, alosetron is a safe and effective treatment for female IBS patients.