Erythromycin as a gastrointestinal prokinetic agent.

Erythromycin is a potent stimulator of gastrointestinal (GI) motility and can be a useful agent to treat GI stasis in patients who are critically ill. However, it is not licensed for this indication and has serious drug interactions which may limit its utility. Erythromycin derivatives which lack antibiotic activity have been developed but are still undergoing pre-marketing investigations.