Cinitapride hydrogen tartrate, a gastrointestinal promotility drug

Gastrointestinal promotility drugs are effective in treating gastrointestinal diseases such as functional dyspepsia (FD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but there are few effective and safe drugs in the present. Cinitapride hydrogen tartrate (cinitapride) is a gastrointestinal promotility drug that marketed in China in 2015. It belongs to 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor agonist and is mainly used to treat mild to moderate FD. Several clinical trials have shown that cinitapride is superior to metoclopramide or domperidone for treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction, FD and GERD, and has good safety. Because cinitapride is metabolized not only by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 enzyme but also by CYP2C8, the risk of drug interaction is lower. The free drug concentration of cinitapride is much lower than that of cisapride and domperidone, resulting in a lower risk of cardiotoxicity. So cinitapride is a new choice for treatment of FD and GERD. Key words: Gastrointestinal agents; Serotonin 5-HT4 receptor agonists; Gastrointestinal motility; Gastrointestinal diseases; Cinitapride