Volume 77, Issue 2 pp. e13-e22
Review Articles

Drugs in Focus

Domperidone

Maria Giovanna Puoti MD

Maria Giovanna Puoti MD

Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK

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Amit Assa MD

Amit Assa MD

The Juliet Keidan Institute of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

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Marc Benninga MD, PhD

Marc Benninga MD, PhD

Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Ilse Julia Broekaert MD

Ilse Julia Broekaert MD

Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

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Francisco Javier Martin Carpi MD

Francisco Javier Martin Carpi MD

Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain

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Marco Deganello Saccomani MD, PhD

Marco Deganello Saccomani MD, PhD

Department of Paediatrics, Woman’s & Child’s University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy

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Jernej Dolinsek MD

Jernej Dolinsek MD

Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University Medical Centre Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia

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Matjaz Homan MD

Matjaz Homan MD

Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

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Emmanuel Mas

Emmanuel Mas

Service de Gastroentérologie, Hépatologie, Nutrition, Diabétologie et Maladies Héréditaires du Métabolisme, Hôpital des Enfants, CHU de Toulouse, F-31300 Toulouse, France

IRSD, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, INRAE, ENVT, UPS, Toulouse, France

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Erasmo Miele MD, PhD

Erasmo Miele MD, PhD

Department of Translational Medicine Science, Section of Paediatrics, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

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Christos Tzivinikos MD

Christos Tzivinikos MD

Paediatric Gastroenterology Department, Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Mike Thomson MD

Mike Thomson MD

Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Weston Bank, Sheffield, UK

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Osvaldo Borrelli MD, PhD

Corresponding Author

Osvaldo Borrelli MD, PhD

Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Osvaldo Borrelli, MD, PhD, Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3HZ, UK (e-mail: [email protected]).Search for more papers by this author
First published: 09 May 2023
Citations: 11

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Abstract

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.

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