Fenoverine: smooth muscle synchronizer for the management of gastro-intestinal conditions. II. A trimebutine-controlled, double-blind, crossover clinical evaluation

Abstract

A double-blind, crossover trial was carried out in 40 in-patients with gastro-intestinal spasmodic syndromes to compare the effectiveness and tolerance of fenoverine and trimebutine. Patients were allocated at random to receive either 100 mg fenoverine or 150 mg trimebutine 3-times daily for 20 days and were then crossed over, without a wash-out period, to the alternative medication for a further 20 days. After the first dose, pain severity was monitored over 4 hours and changes in intensity compared between groups. During the two 20-day periods, the proportion of patients in complete or almost complete remission was monitored at 10-day intervals, and the pooled data similarly compared. At the end of the 40-day trial period, patients stated their preference for one or other treatment, and the relevant data were processed by sequential analysis. Subjective signs of adverse effects were monitored by questioning every 10 days, and haematology and haematochemistry before and after each phase of the study. The results showed that fenoverine produced significantly greater pain relief after a single dose in comparison with trimebutine over the 4 hours of observation. Similarly, it gave significantly more favourable clinical results after both the 10th and 20th day of treatment. Finally, according to the patients' preference, fenoverine was significantly preferred (p less than 0.05) in comparison with trimebutine. Neither treatment was associated with the onset of signs of possible adverse reactions, either subjective or objective.