Background Little is known about the optimal treatment for constipation in patients with schizophrenia or depression. Elobixibat is a laxative with a novel mechanism of action that inhibits the ileal bile acid transporter, acting as both an osmotic and a stimulant agent. Methods We conducted a prospective, multicenter, postmarketing surveillance study to assess the safety and effectiveness of elobixibat for patients with chronic constipation in Japan (jRCT1080223950). The surveillance period was between June 2018 and May 2022. Patients were observed from the date of initial administration of elobixibat to 55 days thereafter (4-week treatment groups) or to 419 days thereafter (52-week treatment groups). Safety outcomes included adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Effectiveness outcomes included defecation frequency, Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) scores, and constipation-related symptoms. Results In the safety analysis set, the 4-week treatment groups comprised 105 patients with schizophrenia and 129 with depression; the 52-week treatment groups included 43 patients with schizophrenia and 55 with depression. Approximately 85% to 95% of patients used antipsychotics, and 40% to 55% used anxiolytics or sedative-hypnotics. The proportions of patients who experienced ADRs were 4.76% in the 4-week treatment group and 2.33% in the 52-week treatment group of patients with schizophrenia, and 3.88% and 9.09% of patients with depression. Diarrhea was the most common ADR in each group. There were no serious ADRs. In the 4-week treatment groups, the mean defecation frequency per week at baseline was 3.3 among patients with schizophrenia and 3.0 among patients with depression, which increased to 5.3 and 4.9, respectively, at week 4. In the 52-week treatment groups, the mean defecation frequency per week at week 52 was higher than that at baseline. After treatment, the proportion of patients with an ideal BSFS score of 4 increased in all groups by week 2 and reached approximately 60% by week 52. All constipation-related symptoms also improved by week 2 in all groups. Conclusions Elobixibat improved chronic constipation with no new safety signal identified in patients with schizophrenia or depression and with available follow-up in real-world settings. Clinical trial registration https://jrct.mhlw.go.jp/latest-detail/jRCT1080223950 , identifier jRCT1080223950.
Takekita et al. (Mon,) studied this question.