Naldemedine-laxative combination: retrospective inpatient study

The initiation of peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonists (PAMORAs) should be considered 2 weeks after conventional laxatives have failed to achieve an adequate response, and affected patients should be evaluated every 2 weeks thereafter. However, this guidance is difficult to implement in acute care hospitals. This study aimed to examine how naldemedine (PAMORA) should be introduced in combination with other laxatives in the acute care setting.

This retrospective study evaluated 93 inpatients who received at least four doses of naldemedine. We investigated changes in the average daily defecation counts during the first 7 days after compared with before naldemedine administration and the incidence of diarrhoea.

Daily defecation counts during the first 7 days after compared with before naldemedine administration were greater in both the naldemedine, magnesium oxide (MgO) and another laxative group, and in the naldemedine and another laxative other than MgO group than in the naldemedine only group. The incidence rates of diarrhoea were significantly higher in the naldemedine, MgO, and another laxative group, and in the naldemedine and another laxative other than MgO group than in the naldemedine only group.

The introduction of naldemedine alone or in combination with MgO should be considered.