Aneesh PSR, Vaithiyam V, Reddy RT, Dalal A, Sachdeva S. Ileal bile acid transporter inhibitors for chronic constipation in the elderly. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2026; 17(1): 112327 [DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.v17.i1.112327]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Venkatesh Vaithiyam, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, 1, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, 64 Khamba, Raj Ghat, New Delhi 110002, Delhi, India. venkateshvaithiyam172@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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Editorial
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 5, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 11, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics
ISSN
2150-5349
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Aneesh PSR, Vaithiyam V, Reddy RT, Dalal A, Sachdeva S. Ileal bile acid transporter inhibitors for chronic constipation in the elderly. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2026; 17(1): 112327 [DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.v17.i1.112327]
Payila Satya Raghava Aneesh, Venkatesh Vaithiyam, Ravi Teja Reddy, Ashok Dalal, Sanjeev Sachdeva, Department of Gastroenterology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, New Delhi 110002, Delhi, India
Author contributions: Venkatesh V and Aneesh PSR wrote the original draft; Aneesh PSR contributed to the conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing; Reddy RT, Sachdeva S and Dalal A participated in drafting the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Venkatesh Vaithiyam, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, 1, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, 64 Khamba, Raj Ghat, New Delhi 110002, Delhi, India. venkateshvaithiyam172@gmail.com
Received: July 24, 2025 Revised: September 8, 2025 Accepted: November 24, 2025 Published online: March 5, 2026 Processing time: 202 Days and 15.8 Hours
Abstract
We read with great interest and commended Sakai et al for their valuable study on the efficacy of elobixibat in elderly patients with chronic constipation (CC). This study provides valuable insights into the safety and efficacy of elobixibat in elderly patients with CC. We have a few critical points regarding the study methodology and evaluation of CC in the elderly population. The authors have not commented on the exclusion of possible drug-related constipation, as most of their elderly patients have comorbid illness, structural causes of constipation, evaluation of gastrointestinal motility, and advocating for a more comprehensive workup for CC in the elderly. This article also provides a comprehensive review of the workup of CC in the elderly, as well as a review of the available evidence on ileal bile acid transporter inhibitor - elobixibat in CC.
Core Tip: This article offers a critical review of a recently published study on elobixibat in the treatment of chronic constipation (CC) in the elderly. The therapeutic arsenal against CC is expanding with new drugs and approaches. Elobixibat is a potent and selective inhibitor of the ileal bile acid transporter. It increases the colonic bile acid pool, which enhances colonic motility and secretion. Elobixibat improves bowel movements, stool consistency, and quality of life. Elobixibat is generally well-tolerated and effective in the elderly, as well as in patients with renal failure, heart failure, and Parkinson’s disease suffering from CC.
