Plecanatide: First Global Approval

Plecanatide (Trulance TM) is an oral guanylate cyclase-C agonist that is being developed by Synergy Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, such as chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). It is a synthetic analogue of human uroguanylin, a 16 amino acid peptide that regulates ion and fluid transport in the gastrointestinal tract. In January 2017, plecanatide received its first global approval in the USA for the treatment of adult patients with CIC. Plecanatide is undergoing phase III investigation in IBS-C. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of plecanatide leading to this first approval in CIC.