Nausea Drug Fails Against Cirrhosis-Linked Fatigue

Even though it's often used to fight chemotherapy-linked nausea, the drug ondansetron has proven ineffective at treating fatigue in people with cirrhosis of the liver, according to a new report. The study, led by Dr. Jeremy Theal of the University of Toronto, included 54 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) who received the drug for a four-week period and also received a placebo for a different 4-week period. The researchers concluded the drug did not reduce fatigue any better than the placebo. In addition, neither the drug nor placebo produced significant changes in either the patients' depression or sleep quality. The Canadian team believes other drugs that target the central nervous system may be effective in treating fatigue associated with PBC, an inflammation of the bile ducts in the liver that leads to cirrhosis. Fatigue is a symptom in up to 85 percent of PBC patients and affects their quality of life and limits their activities. Several drugs have been tested as treatments for PBC-related fatigue, but none have proven effective so far. The findings appear in the June issue of the journal Hepatology.