MR Ingrosso et al. Gastroenterol 2023; 164: 642-654. Open Access! Efficacy and Safety of Drugs for Gastroparesis: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis

The authors examined  29 RCTs (3772 patients). Key findings:

• Only two medications (neither available in U.S.) were identified as being more effective than placebo for global symptoms of gastroparesis: clebopride (RR, 0.30) followed by domperidone (RR, 0.68) 
• Oral metoclopramide ranked first for nausea (RR 0.46), fullness (RR 0.67), and bloating. Though, use may result extrapyramidal adverse effects

In the associated editorial (pg 522-524, Drug Treatments for Gastroparesis—Why Is the Cupboard So Bare?), the authors note that the label “gastroparesis” applies to a heterogeneous population.

Key points:

• I tend to abide by the recommendation proposed by Masaoka and Tack¹⁰ some years ago that one should use the term gastroparesis only “when persistently and severely delayed gastric emptying is found in the absence of mechanical obstruction.” 
• An obsession with gastroparesis as the basic issue among patients with “gastroparesis-like” symptoms has translated into a therapeutic fixation on the acceleration of gastric emptying. This too has led to frustration and disappointment. As already mentioned, symptoms are a poor predictor of the rate of gastric emptying, and a normalization of delayed emptying has not consistently correlated with symptom responses and vice versa.^11,12
• Oblivious to research illustrating how upper gastrointestinal symptoms can result from several other derangements in foregut physiology, such as impaired accommodation of the upper stomach, visceral hypersensitivity, and antropyloric distensibility and dysmotility,^{13, 14, 15, 16}

My take: Currently, pharmaceutical agents geared towards symptoms like nausea and sensory disorders are much more promising than prokinetic agents for gastroparesis

Related blog posts:

• Are Gastroparesis and Functional Dyspepsia Part of the Same Problem?
• Trying to Understand Gastroparesis
• Neuromodulators & Gastroparesis (Bowel Sounds Episode)
• Tweetorial: Refractory Gastroparesis