Background: Patients with upper GI motility disorders encounter functional dyspepsia (FD) and gastroparesis as commonly occurring syndromes associated with gastric motor dysfunction. Aim: The aim of the present review is to provide a comprehensive view of the literature regarding the clinical efficacy and safety profile of itopride in the treatment of upper GI dysmotility disorders such as FD and gastroparesis. Methods: A literature search was performed using electronic databases like Pubmed/Medline to identify relevant articles from 1998 to 2014. The search yielded around 20 original studies and review articles from which relevant data was extracted. Results: Itopride improved postprandial fullness, bloating and global patient assessment scores compared to control groups (domperidone, mosapride or placebo) in patient with FD. Itopride at the dose of 50 mg, TDS when assessed by LDQ scores demonstrated significantly better symptomatic relief and improvement as compared to placebo. Furthermore, itopride reported moderate to complete relief of epigastric pain, nausea, heartburn and anorexia in about 73-85% of patients. Itopride has shown positive effect on gastric emptying and gastroduodenal motility by accelerating solid and liquid gastric emptying in gastroparesis patients. In the studies summarized for this secondary publication, no serious adverse events such as extrapyramidal symptoms or prolongation in QT interval have been observed with the use of itopride. Conclusion: Overall, based on the findings of studies, it can be concluded that itopride provides goodtherapeutic benefits in management of upper GI dysmotility disorderswith a positivesafety profile.
