InKine Pharmaceutical company, Inc. (INKP) announced that Michael D. Brown, MD, associate professor of medicine, section of gastroenterology and nutrition, Rush University Medical Center, presented results of a prospective, investigator-initiated study assessing the impact on physician call volume due to adverse events associated with bowel purgation.

The report was presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2005 (DDW) conference in Chicago, Illinois.

This prospectively planned review of medical charts and telephone call records was carried out to assess the rate at which patients call the evening on-call physician about problems with their colonoscopy preps in a multi-physician, urban, academic practice.

The study was conducted over a 7 week period. Calls involving difficulties taking the recommended prep, medical symptoms following prep ingestion, problems with obtaining the preparation or understanding the prep instructions were tabulated.

A total of 412 consecutive patients had colonoscopy procedures during the relevant time period. The overall call rate for prep-associated problems was 33 of 412 patients (8.0%). The call rates were 30 of 223 (13.5%) for polyethelene glycol or PEG, 2 of 181 (1.1%) for sodium phosphate tablets [Visicol], and 1 of 8 (12.5%) for sodium phosphate liquid [Fleet]. The call rate with sodium phosphate tablets was significantly less than with PEG (p<0.0001)>

"Calls regarding bowel preparations remain a source of frustration for patients and physicians alike," said Brown. "In this survey, use of sodium phosphate tablets as a colonoscopy prep was associated with a statistically significant (more than 10-fold) reduction in the rate of after-hours calls to physicians because of difficulties with the prep compared to PEG or sodium phosphate liquid preps. These data suggest that use of sodium phosphate tablets may positively impact physicians' practices by reducing the amount of calls they need to take a night from patients not tolerating their bowel purgative." This article was prepared by Drug Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2005, Drug Week via NewsRx.com.