Patient experience with NER1006 as a bowel preparation for colonoscopy: a prospective, multicenter US survey

Abstract

Background: NER1006 (Plenvu®, Salix Pharmaceuticals, Bridgewater, NJ) is a 1 L polyethylene glycol bowel preparation indicated for colonoscopy in adults. A US online survey assessed real-world ease of use and treatment satisfaction in individuals who received NER1006.

Methods: Adults were recruited from 444 US community gastrointestinal practices and provided a kit number for enrollment into an online survey to be completed within 2 weeks. Survey questions evaluated colonoscopy history and prior bowel preparation(s) prescribed, patient experience during NER1006 administration, and patient satisfaction with the bowel preparation process. A 9-point predefined grading scale was used to evaluate ease of NER1006 preparation and consumption (range, 1 "very difficult" to 9 "very easy"); the perceived importance of volume requirement and clear liquid options (range, 1 "not important at all" to 9 "very important"); and patient satisfaction (range, 1 "not satisfied at all" to 9 "very satisfied").

Results: 1630 patients were enrolled, 1606 underwent colonoscopy, and 1598 completed the survey between September 15, 2018 and February 28, 2019. Among 1606 patients who had a colonoscopy, 62.5% were female, and the mean patient age was 54.4 years (range 18-89 years). Most patients (74.7%) did not report a family history of colon cancer, 62.6% had undergone prior colonoscopy, and 64.8% were undergoing colonoscopy for routine colorectal cancer screening. A majority (76.1%) of patients who completed the survey reported that NER1006 was very easy to prepare and take, and 89.9% were very or moderately satisfied with NER1006 overall. Most (97.6%) patients reported consuming all or most of the bowel preparation. Among 1005 patients with previous bowel preparation use, 84.7% indicated that their experience with NER1006 was much better or better (65.3%) or about the same (19.4%) compared with previously used bowel preparations, while only 15.3% rated NER1006 as worse or much worse.

Conclusions: In this first real-world, US multicenter survey, patient-reported experience with NER1006 as a bowel preparation for colonoscopy was favorable and adherence was high. The majority of patients were very or moderately satisfied with the overall experience and found it much better/better than previously used bowel preparations.

Trial registration: Not applicable.

Keywords: Bowel preparation; Cathartics; NER1006; Patient satisfaction; Plenvu; Survey; Treatment adherence.

Conflict of interest statement

BDC reports having served as a speaker, consultant, and advisory board member for Salix Pharmaceuticals. MBCM is an employee of Synchrony Medical Communications, LLC, an organization that has received funding from Salix Pharmaceuticals for manuscript development. MSE reports having nothing to disclose. DMP reports serving as a consultant and educator for Olympus Medical.

Figures

Fig. 1

Patient response on importance of total volume requirement. N = 1598

Fig. 2

Patient satisfaction. N = 1598; used with permission from Cash B. and Moncrief MBC, abstract 534. Am J Gastroenterol. 2019; 114:S36 [14]

Fig. 3

NER1006 experience compared with other bowel cleansing medications previously used. Patients may have selected > 1 prior bowel preparation, 4 L PEG data are for GoLYTELY® (Braintree Laboratories, Inc., Braintree, MA, United States), and not all data are shown (other bowel preparation used or data not available). OSS: oral sodium sulfate, OTC: over-the-counter, PEG: polyethylene glycol