Cilansetron is an experimental drug that is a 5-HT₃ antagonist under development by Solvay Pharmaceuticals. 5-HT₃ receptors are responsible for causing many things from nausea to excess

bowel movements Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging fro ...

. In conditions such as

irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a "disorder of gut-brain interaction" characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain and or abdominal bloating and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms ma ...

(IBS), the receptors have become faulty or oversensitive. 5-HT₃ antagonists work by blocking the nervous and chemical signals from reaching these receptors. Studies have shown that the drug can improve quality of life in men and women with diarrhea-predominant IBS.General info on Cilansetron
/ref> Cilansetron is the first 5-HT antagonist specifically designed for IBS that is effective in men as well as women. In 2005, Solvay received response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that cilanserton is not approvable without additional clinical trials; further development has been discontinued.

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