Domperidone with ORT in the treatment of pediatric acute gastroenteritis in Japan: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial

Comparing the Efficacy of Ondansetron, Domperidone, and Metoclopramide in Treating Vomiting in Pediatric Patients With Acute Gastroenteritis: A Network Meta-Analysis

This network meta-analysis compared the efficacy of ondansetron, domperidone, and metoclopramide in managing vomiting in pediatric acute gastroenteritis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase, from their inception to July 25, 2024. Additionally, Google Scholar was searched to identify further relevant studies. In total, 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The primary outcome was cessation of vomiting. The results indicated that ondansetron was significantly more effective than placebo in achieving cessation of vomiting. While domperidone and metoclopramide also showed improved efficacy compared to placebo, these differences were not statistically significant. Ondansetron emerged as the most effective intervention, followed by domperidone and metoclopramide. These findings have significant clinical implications, suggesting that ondansetron should be the preferred antiemetic for pediatric acute gastroenteritis. Its use may reduce the need for intravenous rehydration and hospitalization, potentially improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. However, the study has limitations, including a lack of data on secondary outcomes and safety profiles of the interventions. Future prospective, multicenter studies are needed to assess both the efficacy and safety of these antiemetics comprehensively in pediatric acute gastroenteritis.

Drugs in Focus: Domperidone

Domperidone is a peripheral dopamine-2 receptor antagonist with prokinetic and antiemetic properties. Its prokinetic effects are mainly manifest in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Currently its use is restricted to relief of nausea and vomiting in children older than 12 years for a short period of time. However, among (pediatric) gastroenterologists, domperidone is also used outside its authorized indication ("off label") for treatment of symptoms associated with gastro-esophageal reflux disease, dyspepsia, and gastroparesis. Little is known about its efficacy in the treatment of GI motility disorders in children and controversial data have emerged in the pediatric literature. As its use is off label, appropriate knowledge of its efficacy is helpful to support an "off label/on evidence" prescription. Based on this, the purpose of this review is to summarize all evidence on the efficacy of domperidone for the treatment of GI disorders in infants and children and to report an overview of its pharmacological properties and safety profile.

Antiemetics in Children With Acute Gastroenteritis: A Meta-analysis

CONTEXT

Several antiemetics have been used in children with acute gastroenteritis. However, there is still controversy over their use.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness and safety of antiemetics for controlling vomiting in children with acute gastroenteritis.

DATA SOURCES

Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Latin America and the Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences, and gray literature, until December 2018.

STUDY SELECTION

We selected randomized clinical trials comparing metoclopramide, ondansetron, domperidone, dexamethasone, dimenhydrinate, and granisetron.

DATA EXTRACTION

Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full texts, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias. We performed pairwise and network meta-analysis using the random-effects model.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies were included (3482 children). Ondansetron revealed the largest effect in comparison to placebo for cessation of vomiting (odds ratio = 0.28 [95% credible interval = 0.16 to 0.46]; quality of evidence: high) and for hospitalization (odds ratio = 2.93 [95% credible interval = 1.69 to 6.18]; quality of evidence: moderate). Ondansetron was the only intervention that reduced the need for intravenous rehydration and the number of vomiting episodes. When considering side effects, dimenhydrinate was the only intervention that was worse than placebo.

LIMITATIONS

Most treatment comparisons had low- or very low-quality evidence, because of risk of biases and imprecise estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

Ondansetron is the only intervention that revealed an effect on the cessation of vomiting, on preventing hospitalizations, and in reducing the need for intravenous rehydration. Ondansetron was also considered a safe intervention.

Oral Ondansetron Administration to Dehydrated Children in Pakistan: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Ondansetron is an effective antiemetic employed to prevent vomiting in children with gastroenteritis in high-income countries; data from low- and middle-income countries are sparse.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled superiority trial in 2 pediatric emergency departments in Pakistan. Dehydrated children aged 6 to 60 months with ≥1 diarrheal (ie, loose or liquid) stool and ≥1 vomiting episode within the preceding 4 hours were eligible to participate. Participants received a single weight-based dose of oral ondansetron (8-15 kg: 2 mg; >15 kg: 4 mg) or identical placebo. The primary outcome was intravenous administration of ≥20 mL/kg over 4 hours of an isotonic fluid within 72 hours of random assignment.

RESULTS

All 918 (100%) randomly assigned children completed follow-up. Intravenous rehydration was administered to 14.7% (68 of 462) and 19.5% (89 of 456) of those administered ondansetron and placebo, respectively (difference: -4.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -9.7% to 0.0%). In multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for other antiemetic agents, antibiotics, zinc, and the number of vomiting episodes in the preceding 24 hours, children administered ondansetron had lower odds of the primary outcome (odds ratio: 0.70; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.00). Fewer children in the ondansetron, relative to the placebo group vomited during the observation period (difference: -12.9%; 95% CI, -18.0% to -7.8%). The median number of vomiting episodes (P < .001) was lower in the ondansetron group.

CONCLUSIONS

Among children with gastroenteritis-associated vomiting and dehydration, oral ondansetron administration reduced vomiting and intravenous rehydration use. Ondansetron use may be considered to promote oral rehydration therapy success among dehydrated children in low- and middle-income countries.

Safety and Efficacy of Low-dose Domperidone for Treating Nausea and Vomiting Due to Acute Gastroenteritis in Children

BACKGROUND

This study was conducted based on a request from the European Medicines Agency to generate robust data on domperidone efficacy in children in the relief of symptoms of nausea and vomiting by assessing the effect of a low-dose and short treatment duration.

METHODS

In this randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study, children ages 6 months to 12 years with acute gastroenteritis randomly (1:1) received oral domperidone 0.25 mg/kg with oral rehydration therapy (ORT) or matching placebo thrice daily for 2 to 7 days. The proportion of patients with no vomiting episodes (primary endpoint) and patients ages ≥4 years with no nausea episodes (key secondary endpoint) within 48 hours of first treatment administration were evaluated.

RESULTS

The study was terminated early following futility analysis. At early termination, 292 patients randomly received domperidone (n = 147) or placebo (n = 145). The proportion of patients with no vomiting episodes within 48-hours of first treatment administration was similar between domperidone (32.0%) and placebo groups (33.8%). Similarly, there was no significant difference in proportion of patients ages ≥4 years with no nausea episodes within 48 hours of first treatment administration between domperidone (35.7%) and placebo (38.6%). Total 13 patients (domperidone, 3.4% [5/147] vs placebo, 5.5% [8/145]) reported ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse events. No deaths or adverse events of special interest (extrapyramidal symptoms and QT prolongation) were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Low-dose of domperidone with ORT did not significantly differ from placebo in reducing vomiting and nausea episodes in pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis (AG), and the safety profile was similar between both groups.

Antiemetic Drug Use in Children: What the Clinician Needs to Know

Vomiting is not only unpleasant for both children and families, but can lead to frequent hospital admission. The persistent vomiting hampers oral intake and increases the risk of dehydration, so the proper use of antiemetic drugs can be useful. The pharmacological treatment of vomiting in children remains a challenge for the pediatrician because several antiemetics are prescribed as "off-label," outside their authorized drug label. Domperidone and ondansetron are the most commonly known antiemetic drugs. A single oral dose of ondansetron has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrent vomiting, the need for intravenous fluids, and hospital admissions in children with acute gastroenteritis. There is enough evidence to support ondansetron administration in children, so the clinical use can be defined as "off-label/on evidence." This review aims to provide an overview of therapeutic use, safety, and main pharmacological properties of antiemetic drugs in children. A comprehensive search of published literature using the PubMed MEDLINE database was carried out to identify all articles published in English from 1998 to February 2018. At present time, the "off-label/on-evidence" use of some antiemetics could improve the success rate of oral rehydration therapy in pediatric emergency settings and to change the management of vomiting with the prevention of the complications.

Oral Ondansetron versus Domperidone for Acute Gastroenteritis in Pediatric Emergency Departments: Multicenter Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

The use of antiemetics for vomiting in acute gastroenteritis in children is still a matter of debate. We conducted a double-blind randomized trial to evaluate whether a single oral dose of ondansetron vs domperidone or placebo improves outcomes in children with gastroenteritis. After failure of initial oral rehydration administration, children aged 1–6 years admitted for gastroenteritis to the pediatric emergency departments of 15 hospitals in Italy were randomized to receive one oral dose of ondansetron (0.15 mg/kg) or domperidone (0.5 mg/kg) or placebo. The primary outcome was the percentage of children receiving nasogastric or intravenous rehydration. A p value of 0.014 was used to indicate statistical significance (and 98.6% CI were calculated) as a result of having carried out two interim analyses. 1,313 children were eligible for the first attempt with oral rehydration solution, which was successful for 832 (63.4%); 356 underwent randomization (the parents of 125 children did not give consent): 118 to placebo, 119 to domperidone, and 119 to ondansetron. Fourteen (11.8%) needed intravenous rehydration in the ondansetron group vs 30 (25.2%) and 34 (28.8%) in the domperidone and placebo groups, respectively. Ondansetron reduced the risk of intravenous rehydration by over 50%, both vs placebo (RR 0.41, 98.6% CI 0.20–0.83) and domperidone (RR 0.47, 98.6% CI 0.23–0.97). No differences for adverse events were seen among groups. In a context of emergency care, 6 out of 10 children aged 1–6 years with vomiting due to gastroenteritis and without severe dehydration can be managed effectively with administration of oral rehydration solution alone. In children who fail oral rehydration, a single oral dose of ondansetron reduces the need for intravenous rehydration and the percentage of children who continue to vomit, thereby facilitating the success of oral rehydration. Domperidone was not effective for the symptomatic treatment of vomiting during acute gastroenteritis.

Randomized study of ondansetron versus domperidone in the treatment of children with acute gastroenteritis

Background

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common condition among children that is frequently accompanied by vomiting. Symptomatic control of vomiting is important as it improves patient’s general condition and reduces the need for intravenous therapy and hospitalization. Antiemetic agents including ondansetron and domperidone are used to provide symptomatic relief but the existing studies do not provide enough evidence of better efficacy for one over another.

Methods

Seventy-six Thai children under the age of 15 with AGE were randomized to receive either ondansetron or domperidone. The primary outcome of the study was the proportion of the patients in each group who had no episode of vomiting 24 hours after the start of treatment.

Results

Primary outcome was met in 62% of patients in ondansetron group and 44% of patients in domperidone group (P = 0.16). Patients in domperidone group received more doses of the drug within 24 hours after the start of the treatment compared to ondansetron group (P = 0.01). No adverse effect was observed in any of the two groups.

Conclusions

Ondansetron can be considered a safe comparable alternative to commonly-used domperidone in Thai children who suffer from symptoms of gastroenteritis. Larger clinical trials are needed to further explore the effectiveness of the two medications.