Parapenzolate bromide, the active principle of Vagopax ® (also known as S.C.H. 3444) is a synthetic drug acting as an anticholinergic agent, used in the treatment of duodenal and gastric peptic ulcers, gastritis, colitis and other digestive diseases. The compound was useful to the relief of visceral spasms, considered as a safe and well-tolerated antispasmodic agent with a prolonged duration of action. This orally-active drug was well-known for its potent antisecretory and antimotility properties, inhibiting both basal and histamine-stimulated acid outputs. It was also considered for the control of vagal hypertonia (attributed to an excessive activity of the parasympathetic nervous system).
From a chemical view, the drug bears a dimethylpiperidinium moiety (quaternary ammonium) attached to a 2-hydroxy(diphenyl)acetoxy unit via an ester linkage. There was little scientific information available about the pharmacology of this drug, not profoundly studied and no longer used today.
