PRUCALOPRIDE: 1,421 Adverse Event Reports & Safety Profile
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Active Ingredient: PRUCALOPRIDE SUCCINATE · Drug Class: Serotonin 4 Receptor Agonists [MoA] · Route: ORAL · Manufacturer: SpecGx LLC · FDA Application: 210166 · HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG · FDA Label: Available
First Report: 200909 · Latest Report: 20250723
What Are the Most Common PRUCALOPRIDE Side Effects?
All PRUCALOPRIDE Side Effects by Frequency
| Side Effect | Reports | % of Total | Deaths | Hosp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug ineffective | 206 | 14.5% | 3 | 21 |
| No adverse event | 171 | 12.0% | 0 | 3 |
| Headache | 159 | 11.2% | 3 | 24 |
| Off label use | 129 | 9.1% | 0 | 28 |
| Diarrhoea | 125 | 8.8% | 0 | 7 |
| Nausea | 121 | 8.5% | 0 | 18 |
| Inability to afford medication | 117 | 8.2% | 0 | 6 |
| Product use issue | 97 | 6.8% | 4 | 12 |
| Dizziness | 85 | 6.0% | 3 | 26 |
| Constipation | 84 | 5.9% | 1 | 14 |
| Insurance issue | 78 | 5.5% | 0 | 1 |
| Abdominal pain | 73 | 5.1% | 0 | 25 |
| Vomiting | 72 | 5.1% | 1 | 34 |
| Fatigue | 61 | 4.3% | 0 | 7 |
| Depression | 53 | 3.7% | 3 | 6 |
| Abdominal distension | 50 | 3.5% | 2 | 5 |
| Product use in unapproved indication | 46 | 3.2% | 0 | 11 |
| Malaise | 44 | 3.1% | 0 | 5 |
| Flatulence | 41 | 2.9% | 0 | 1 |
| Suicidal ideation | 39 | 2.7% | 0 | 8 |
Who Reports PRUCALOPRIDE Side Effects? Age & Gender Data
Gender: 78.7% female, 21.3% male. Average age: 50.4 years. Most reports from: US. View detailed demographics →
Is PRUCALOPRIDE Getting Safer? Reports by Year
| Year | Reports | Deaths | Hosp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | 89 | 1 | 6 |
| 2020 | 46 | 0 | 6 |
| 2021 | 39 | 1 | 4 |
| 2022 | 43 | 2 | 6 |
| 2023 | 28 | 1 | 7 |
| 2024 | 31 | 0 | 12 |
| 2025 | 13 | 3 | 2 |
What Is PRUCALOPRIDE Used For?
| Indication | Reports |
|---|---|
| Product used for unknown indication | 596 |
| Constipation | 498 |
| Impaired gastric emptying | 105 |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | 93 |
| Gastrointestinal motility disorder | 39 |
| Gastrointestinal bacterial overgrowth | 21 |
| Gastrointestinal hypomotility | 15 |
| Nausea | 14 |
| Vomiting | 14 |
| Gastrointestinal disorder | 11 |
PRUCALOPRIDE vs Alternatives: Which Is Safer?
Official FDA Label for PRUCALOPRIDE
Official prescribing information from the FDA-approved drug label.
Drug Description
Prucalopride tablets for oral use contain prucalopride succinate, a dihydrobenzofurancarboxamide that is a serotonin type 4 (5-HT4) receptor agonist. The IUPAC name is: 4-Amino-5-chloro- N -[1-(3-methoxypropyl)piperidin-4-yl]-2,3-dihydro-1-benzofuran-7-carboxamide monobutanedioate. The molecular formula is C 18 H 26 ClN 3 O 3 .C 4 H 6 O 4 and the molecular weight is 485.96. The structural formula is: Prucalopride succinate is a white to an off-white powder. It is soluble in dimethylsulfoxide, water, N,N -dimethylformamide, N,N -dimethylacetamide and sparingly soluble in methanol. It is freely soluble in acidic aqueous media. However, the solubility decreases with increasing pH. It is freely soluble in water (16% w/v) but less soluble in basic solution.
Each
1 mg film-coated tablet of prucalopride contains 1 mg of prucalopride (equivalent to 1.32 mg prucalopride succinate), and the following inactive ingredients: hydroxypropyl cellulose, magnesium stearate, and microcrystalline cellulose. The coating for the 1 mg tablet contains hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, titanium dioxide, and triethyl citrate.
Each
2 mg film-coated tablet of prucalopride contains 2 mg of prucalopride (equivalent to 2.64 mg prucalopride succinate), and the following inactive ingredients: hydroxypropyl cellulose, magnesium stearate, and microcrystalline cellulose. The coating for the 2 mg tablet contains hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, titanium dioxide, and triethyl citrate. structure.jpg
FDA Approved Uses (Indications)
AND USAGE Prucalopride tablets are indicated for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults. Prucalopride tablets are a serotonin-4 (5-HT 4 ) receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults. ( 1 )
Dosage & Administration
AND ADMINISTRATION Prucalopride tablets can be taken with or without food. The recommended dosage by patient population is shown in Table 1.
Table
1: Recommended Dosage Regimen and Dosage Adjustments by Population Population with CIC Recommended Oral Dose Regimen Adults 2 mg once daily Patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance (CrCL) less than 30 mL/min) [see Use in Specific Populations ( 8.5 and 8.6 )] . 1 mg once daily
- Take with or without food. ( 2 )
- Recommended dosage by patient population: Population with CIC Recommended Oral Dose Regimen Adults 2 mg once daily. ( 2 ) Patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance (CrCL) less than 30 mL/min) 1 mg once daily. ( 2 , 8.5 , 8.6 )
Contraindications
Prucalopride tablets are contraindicated in patients with: A history of hypersensitivity to prucalopride tablets. Reactions including dyspnea, rash, pruritus, urticaria, and facial edema have been observed [see Adverse Reactions ( 6.2 )] . Intestinal perforation or obstruction due to structural or functional disorder of the gut wall, obstructive ileus, severe inflammatory conditions of the intestinal tract such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and toxic megacolon/megarectum. Hypersensitivity to prucalopride tablets ( 4 ) Intestinal perforation or obstruction due to structural or functional disorder of the gut wall, obstructive ileus, severe inflammatory conditions of the intestinal tract such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and toxic megacolon/megarectum. ( 4 )
Known Adverse Reactions
REACTIONS Most common adverse reactions (≥2%) are headache, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal distension, dizziness, vomiting, flatulence, and fatigue. (6.1) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-855-204-1431 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch .
6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The data described below represent 2,530 patients (1,251 received prucalopride tablets 2 mg once daily and 1,279 received placebo) with CIC from 6 double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of 12 weeks to 24 weeks in duration. In these trials overall, patients were primarily female (76%) and white (76%). The mean age was 47 years (range 17 to 95 years) <span class="opacity-50 text-xs">[see Clinical Studies (14)]</span> .
Common Adverse Reactions Table
2 below summarizes the incidence (%) of common adverse reactions occurring in at least 2% of patients with CIC receiving either 2 mg of prucalopride tablets once daily or placebo and at an incidence greater than in the placebo group from the six double-blind placebo-controlled trials described above.
Table
2: Common Adverse Reactions* in Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials of CIC of at least 12 Weeks Duration Adverse Reaction Prucalopride Tablets 2 mg Once Daily N=1251 † % Placebo N=1279 % Headache 19 9 Abdominal pain ‡ 16 11 Nausea 14 7 Diarrhea 13 5 Abdominal distension 5 4 Dizziness 4 2 Vomiting 3 2 Flatulence 3 2 Fatigue 2 1 * Reported in ≥2% of patients receiving prucalopride tablets and a rate higher than patients receiving placebo. † Includes 93 patients who started on prucalopride tablets 1 mg and increased to prucalopride tablets 2 mg. ‡ Includes abdominal pain, upper abdominal pain, lower abdominal pain, abdominal tenderness, abdominal discomfort, and epigastric discomfort.
Less Common Adverse Reactions
Less common adverse reactions occurring in <2% of patients receiving prucalopride tablets 2 mg once daily include: Gastrointestinal disorders : Abnormal gastrointestinal sounds Metabolism and nutrition disorders : Decreased appetite Nervous system disorders : Migraine Renal and urinary disorders : Pollakiuria Diarrhea Of the patients who reported diarrhea, 70% (110 out of 157) reported it in the first week of treatment. Diarrhea typically resolved within a few days in 73% (80 out of 110) of those patients. Severe diarrhea was reported in 1.8% of patients treated with prucalopride tablets 2 mg compared to 1% of patients in the placebo group, and had a similar onset and duration as diarrhea overall. Headache Of the patients who reported headache, 66% (157 out of 237) treated with prucalopride tablets 2 mg once daily reported onset in the first 2 days of treatment. Symptoms typically resolved within a few days in 65% (102 out of 157) of those patients.
Adverse Reactions
Leading to Discontinuation In the 6 clinical trials described above, 5% of patients treated with 2 mg of prucalopride tablets once daily discontinued due to adverse reactions, compared to 3% of patients in the placebo group. The most common adverse reactions leading to discontinuation were nausea (2% prucalopride tablets, 1% placebo), headache (1% prucalopride tablets, 1% placebo), diarrhea (1% prucalopride tablets, <1% placebo), or abdominal pain (1% prucalopride tablets, 1% placebo).
Adverse
Reactions of Special Interest Adverse reactions of special interest were evaluated in a pool of 28 completed clinical trials (19 double-blind and 9 open-label) for prucalopride tablets at doses including 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, or 4 mg per day in adult patients with CIC (the recommended dosage of prucalopride tablets for CIC is 2 mg once daily). The total exposure in the double-blind trials was 565 patient-years in the prucalopride tablets group, 384 patient-years in the placebo group, and 2,769 patient-years in the double-blind and open-label clinical trials.
Cardiovascular Safety
Analysis In an evaluation by an independent adjudication committee of all potential major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke, the standardized incidence rate (IR) per 1,000 patient-years for MACE for prucalopride tablets were compared with the IR for placebo. In the double-blind trials, the IR for MACE was 3.5 (2 patients out of 3,366; 1 patient on 2 mg and 1 patient on 4 mg) in the prucalopride tablets group and 5.2 (2 patients out of 2,019) in the placebo group. When combining the double-blind and open-label trials, the IR for MACE was 3.3 (9 patients out of 4,472, doses ranging between 0.5 to 4 mg) for prucalopride tablets.
Suicidal
Ideation and Behavior In the double-blind trials, one patient reported a suicide attempt 7 days after the end of treatment with prucalopride tablets 2 mg once daily; none were reported in patients on placebo. In the open-label trials, two patients reported a suicide attempt and another patient reported suicidal ideation. Completed suicide was reported in two patients, previously treated with prucalopride tablets 2 mg or 4 mg; both discontinued prucalopride tablets for at least one month prior to the event.
Observational Cardiovascular Cohort Study
The overall cardiovascular safety of prucalopride tablets were assessed using European healthcare databases in a population-based, retrospective, observational, cohort study of adults with constipation. New users of prucalopride tablets (N=5,715) were matched to new users of polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG) (N=29,372) to estimate the standardized incidence rate ratio (SIRR) for MACE, pooled across four data sources.
The
95% confidence interval for the pooled estimate of the SIRR did not demonstrate an increased MACE risk and excluded a pre-specified safety margin of a three-fold risk of MACE during prucalopride use relative to PEG use.
6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of prucalopride. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Hypersensitivity reactions : Dyspnea, rash, pruritus, urticaria, and facial edema <span class="opacity-50 text-xs">[see Contraindications (4)]</span> . Psychiatric disorders: Suicide, suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, self-injurious ideation, depression, anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, and visual hallucinations <span class="opacity-50 text-xs">[see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]</span>.
Warnings
AND PRECAUTIONS Suicidal Ideation and Behavior: Monitor patients for suicidal ideation and behavior as well as self-injurious ideation and new-onset or worsening of depression. Instruct patients to discontinue prucalopride tablets immediately and contact their healthcare provider if they experience any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or they experience emerging suicidal thoughts or behaviors. ( 5.1 )