Constipation drug extends survival for cancer patients

LOS ANGELES: A drug that is given to late-stage cancer patients to help ease the constipation brought on by morphine has been shown to extend their lives, researchers said.

Methylnaltrexone, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2008 to treat opioid-induced constipation, could play a role in cancer therapy, said researchers who presented their findings at the meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in San Diego.