AstraZeneca: Esomeprazole is Effective in Suppressing Gastric Acid Secretion Compared to Other Proton Pump Inhibitors -PPIs-.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

MOLNDAL, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2003

The suppression of gastric acid secretion is the mechanism by which clinical effectiveness of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is achieved in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Esomeprazole (Nexium(R) 40 mg) provides greater gastric acid suppression compared with other PPIs, including omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole and rabeprazole - as reported in new research, released today at the US Digestive Disease Week in Orlando, Florida.

Many patients with GERD do not get adequate symptom resolution from their prescribed medication and many may be switched to an alternative PPI in the search for satisfactory symptom response. "Assessing the pharmacodynamic differences between medications in individual patients is important in order to rationalise the clinical approach to treatment," reports Dr Philip Katz, MD, Chief of Gastroenterology at the Graduate Hospital Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Dr Katz and colleagues reported results from a randomised, open-label, comparative study in which patients with symptoms of GERD received five different PPI drugs once daily (esomeprazole 40 mg, omeprazole 20 mg, lansoprazole 30 mg, pantoprazole 40 mg and rabeprazole 20 mg) over a five day period in a five-way crossover design.1-3 In these patients, treatment with esomeprazole resulted in significantly greater suppression of gastric acid secretion than all other treatments. Treatment with esomeprazole also provided significantly more hours of intragastric acid suppression (pH of greater than 4.0 for 12 hours or longer) compared with these doses of all the other PPIs and esomeprazole achieved sustained acid suppression for most of a 24-hour time period. Symptom response was not assessed in this study.

To learn more about Nexium(R), please visit our interactive website: www.astrazenecapressoffice.com.

References:

1. Miner PB, et al. Esomeprazole 40 mg provides more effective intragastric acid suppression at steady state than standard doses of other proton pump inhibitors. Presented at the Digestive Disease Week, Orlando, Florida, 18 May 2003, abstract 104096.

2. Miner PB, et al. Integrated gastric acidity to evaluate acid suppression with PPI therapy: A five-way crossover comparison. Presented at the Digestive Disease Week, Orlando, Florida, 18 May 2003, abstract 107107.

3. Katz PO, et al. Rationale for switching proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy: an intraindividual analysis of gastric acid suppression following treatment with different proton pump inhibitors. Presented at the Digestive Disease Week, Orlando, Florida, 18 May 2003, abstract 103858.

4. Wilder-Smith CH, et al. Comparison of esomeprazole (20, 40, 80 mg) versus lansoprazole (15, 30, 60 mg) on intragastric pH in healthy subjects. Presented at the Digestive Disease Week, Orlando, Florida, 20 May 2003, abstract 104581.

5. Nebel O, et al. Symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux: incidence and precipitating factors. Am J Dig Dis. 1976;2:953-6.

6. Jones R, et al. A multinational survey of activities of daily living and GERD in clinical practice: is prescription therapy adequate? Presented at the Digestive Disease Week, Orlando, Florida, 20 May 2003, abstract 102115.