Gastric Pro-kinetic Agents

Slow clearance of food (slow gastric emptying) is a very common condition associated with anorexia, diabeticfuremic gastroparesis, old age, post-surgery and at high altitude, leading to weight loss. The conventional treatments are prolonged, cosfly, and probably ineffective in many situations. DRDO has developed several cost-effective formulations based on the novel concept of local gastric prokinator action. Hitherto unsuspected local prokinator action of a few safe drug molecules was discovered by scintigraphy in human subjects. Not only are the formulations safe for prolonged human use, their action is almost instantaneous and potent, enhancing the gastric emptying by up to 500 per cent. Multicentric trials are now in progress in collaboration with Maulana Azad Medical College and Jamia Hamdard.

Formulations for Biliary Colic & Congestion Patients with gall bladder disease /stones often have biliary colic and abdominal pain that may persist even after ‘successful’ gall bladder removal surgery. This pathology has been ascribed to spasm at sphincter of Oddi (a muscular valve regulating bile flow to intestine from bile duct) and is relieved by smooth muscle relaxants. The present formulations act through blood and have side effects. DRDO has developed an instant acting formulation that relaxes the sphincter by local action only. Its action on the sphincter has been confirmed and quantified using nuclear medicine technology.

Formulations for Stimulating Gastric Acid Secretion With old age and at high altitude, the gastric secretions tend to decrease, leading to dyspepsia-like conditions. An allopathic and an herbal preparation have been made that have been shown to enhance gastric secretion on scintigraphy by 40-80 per cent after a single dose.