Proton pump inhibitor approved as first 7-day treatment of H. pylori.

2002 DEC 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aciphex, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) widely prescribed for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration as part of the first 7-day treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection, the single most common cause of peptic ulcers.

Taken in combination with certain antibiotics, Aciphex offers a faster therapy option than other PPIs, treating H. pylori in up to half the time of current 10-14 day treatments.

When used in combination with amoxicillin and clarithromycin as a three-drug regimen, Aciphex is indicated for the treatment of patients with H. pylori infection and duodenal ulcer disease (active or history within the last 5 years) to eradicate H. pylori.

Up to 60 million American adults are currently infected with H. pylori (a type of bacteria in the stomach); as many as one in 10 Americans will develop an ulcer in their lifetime.

"Using Aciphex, plus antibiotics for 1 week to eradicate H. pylori is a faster treatment option than what is currently available," said Nimish Vakil, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "When you consider the fact that the majority of duodenal and gastric ulcers are caused by H. pylori infection and that a short treatment course eradicates the infection and prevents relapse, you can understand the importance of this infection in ulcer disease."

A multicenter, ...