Vibrating colon-stimulating capsule to treat chronic constipation: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) affects millions globally, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches.
• The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an orally administered vibrating colon-stimulating capsule in August 2022 for CIC treatment.

Approach:

• A systematic literature review was performed, searching major databases (PubMed, Embase, WHO ICTRP, Cochrane) and pre-print servers until December 2022.
• Included studies encompassed pre-clinical and clinical trials evaluating the vibrating capsule's efficacy and safety in CIC patients.
• Data from five studies (one pre-clinical, three clinical, one combined) were critically analyzed.

Key Points:

• Pre-clinical studies in dogs indicated no adverse effects from the vibrating capsule.
• Clinical trials demonstrated a significant increase in spontaneous bowel movements per week for patients using the vibrating capsule compared to a sham.
• The proportion of patients achieving at least one additional complete spontaneous bowel movement weekly was significantly higher in the treatment group.

Conclusions:

• The vibrating colon-stimulating capsule exhibits a promising efficacy and safety profile for managing chronic idiopathic constipation.
• Mild adverse events included vibration sensation, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort; no serious treatment-related adverse events were reported.
• Larger randomized clinical trials are recommended to generate more robust evidence before widespread adoption.