Henry Ford Hospital: Pill Reduces Prep Needed for Colonoscopy

A study by researchers at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital found that patients who took a pill that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for chronic constipation only need to drink half of the liquid previously required for colonoscopy prep, according to a Henry Ford news release.

The combination did not improve polyp detection during the colonoscopy, but researchers say it led to improved bowel preparation quality and was better tolerated by patients than the liquid mix of polyethylene glycol and electrolytes alone, according to the release.

"Most people say they don't want to have a colonoscopy because they find the preparation intolerable," Chetan Pai, DO, a Henry Ford Hospital gastroenterologist and lead author of the study, said in the release. "If physicians are able to offer a better way to prep, I think this will encourage more people to get the colonoscopies that may save their lives."

The constipation drug lubiprostone has been used anecdotally in patients unable to tolerate drinking a full gallon of PEG and electrolytes as part of the bowel cleansing preparation for colonoscopy, according to the release. The researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 126 patients to test lubiprostone's efficacy in colonoscopy prep. They also investigated the tolerability of the combination of the drug and electrolytes and electrolytes alone as well as the possibility to reduce the volume of electrolytes required for colon cleansing.

The study was funded by Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of lubiprostone.

Read the Henry Ford release on lubiprostone in colonoscopy prep.