Clinical Drug Experience Knowledgebase

Plecanatide (SP-304) is a synthetic, 16-amino acid peptide with 2 disulfide bonds that is a secondin-class guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) receptor agonist. Plecanatide (brand name Trulance) was approved in January 2017 by the FDA for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). Plecanatide stimulates intestinal fluid secretions in the gastrointestinal tract to support regular bowel function. Plecanatide, taken orally once daily, works locally in the upper GI tract to stimulate secretion of intestinal fluid and support regular bowel function. Plecanatide is structurally related to human uroguanylin, and similar to uroguanylin, plecanatide functions as a guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) agonist. Both plecanatide and its active metabolite bind to GC-C and act locally on the luminal surface of the intestinal epithelium. Activation of GC-C results in an increase in both intracellular and extracellular concentrations of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Elevation of intracellular cGMP stimulates secretion of chloride and bicarbonate into the intestinal lumen, mainly through activation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) ion channel, resulting in increased intestinal fluid and accelerated transit. In animal models, plecanatide has been shown to increase fluid secretion into the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, accelerate intestinal transit, and cause changes in stool consistency.   ^NCATS