Domperidone, a drug that fights nausea and vomiting (known as Motilium) marketed in France for more than 30 years, is once again talking about it. He would be responsible in Belgium for 11 deaths. This report announced by the Belgian Health Agency follows an accusation from the independent medical journal Prescrire. At the beginning of April 2015, this magazine estimated the number of deaths due to this treatment in France at 200.
“In 2014, Prescrire sought to estimate the number of patients suffering from sudden cardiac death under the effect of domperidone (Motilium or other) in France in 2012. Giving priority to cautious assumptions, it was estimated that this number is between 43 and 189 (around 3 million people were exposed to domperidone in France in 2012). But a new publication, signed by epidemiologist Catherine Hill, estimates that around 200 sudden deaths were linked to domperidone in France in 2012, ”explains the review on its site.
Unjustified risks
As of April 2015, domperidone is still on sale and reimbursable in France. Following a European decision, oral dosage forms over 10 mg have been withdrawn from the market in the fall of 2014. But patients can still be treated with the 10 mg drug, the most commonly used form for nausea and vomiting. “The lethal danger of domperidone is unjustified by its efficacy, symptomatic and uncertain beyond a placebo effect,” recalls the review.
Consequently, the conclusions of the journal Prescire are final. “This treatment should be reimbursed by health insurance and withdrawn from the European market”.
The review also recalls that “drugs such as metopimazine (Vogalene or other) and metoclopramide (Primperan or other) are similar to domperidone and are also dangerous”.
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