Modified seven-day, quadruple therapy as a first line Helicobacter pylori treatment

Penbactam for Helicobacter pylori eradication: a randomised comparison of quadruple and triple treatment schedules in an Iranian population

BACKGROUND & STUDY AIMS

Selection of the best drug regimens for eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection especially in patients at risk of peptic ulcer relapses and the development of complications is challenging. This study assessed and compared the efficacy of the two common PPI based triple therapies to a quadruple therapy including PPI, metronidazole, amoxicillin and a bismuth compound in Iranian population.

PATIENTS & METHODS

Three hundred and thirty patients with peptic ulcer and H. pylori infection were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment protocols all given twice daily: (a) A 14-day quadruple therapy (OMAB group) comprising omeprazole 20mg, metronicazole 500 mg, amoxicillin 1g, and bismuth subcitrate 240 mg; (b) A 14-day triple regimen (OCP group) comprising omeprazole 20mg plus clarithromycine 500 mg and penbactam 750 mg and (c) A 14-day triple regimen (OCA group) comprising omeprazole 20mg plus clarithromycine 500 mg and amoxicillin 1g. Cure was defined as a negative urea breath test at least six weeks after treatment.

RESULTS

The per-protocol eradication rates achieved with both OCP regimen (87.0%) and OCA treatment (90.8%) were significantly higher than the OMAB treatment protocol (56.0%); however, no significant difference emerged in eradication rates between the two triple treatment schedules. No significant differences between the groups were found in most side-effects.

CONCLUSION

Two-week quadruple therapy showed a lower eradication rate compared to common triple treatment schedules when used as first-line eradication treatment for H. pylori infection in Iranian population.

Penbactam for Helicobacter pylori eradication: a randomised comparison of quadruple and triple treatment schedules in an Iranian population

BACKGROUND & STUDY AIMS

Selection of the best drug regimens for eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection especially in patients at risk of peptic ulcer relapses and the development of complications is challenging. This study assessed and compared the efficacy of the two common PPI based triple therapies to a quadruple therapy including PPI, metronidazole, amoxicillin and a bismuth compound in Iranian population.

PATIENTS & METHODS

Three hundred and thirty patients with peptic ulcer and H. pylori infection were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment protocols all given twice daily: (a) A 14-day quadruple therapy (OMAB group) comprising omeprazole 20mg, metronicazole 500 mg, amoxicillin 1g, and bismuth subcitrate 240 mg; (b) A 14-day triple regimen (OCP group) comprising omeprazole 20mg plus clarithromycine 500 mg and penbactam 750 mg and (c) A 14-day triple regimen (OCA group) comprising omeprazole 20mg plus clarithromycine 500 mg and amoxicillin 1g. Cure was defined as a negative urea breath test at least six weeks after treatment.

RESULTS

The per-protocol eradication rates achieved with both OCP regimen (87.0%) and OCA treatment (90.8%) were significantly higher than the OMAB treatment protocol (56.0%); however, no significant difference emerged in eradication rates between the two triple treatment schedules. No significant differences between the groups were found in most side-effects.

CONCLUSION

Two-week quadruple therapy showed a lower eradication rate compared to common triple treatment schedules when used as first-line eradication treatment for H. pylori infection in Iranian population.

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori in surgical practice: A randomised trial of triple versus quadruple therapy in a rural district general hospital

AIM: To compare a lansoprazole-based triple versus quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) eradication with emphasis on side effect profile, patient compliance and eradication rate at a rural district general hospital in Wales, United Kingdom.

METHODS: One hundred one patients with H pylori infection were included in the study. Patients were randomised to receive triple therapy comprising of lansoprazole 30 mg, amoxycillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, all b.d. (LAC), or quadruple therapy comprising of lansoprazole 30 mg b.d., metronidazole 500 mg t.d.s., bismuth subcitrate 240 mg b.d., and tetracycline chloride 500 mg q.d.s. (LMBT). Cure was defined as a negative ¹³C urea breath test 2 mo after treatment.

RESULTS: Seven patients were withdrawn after randomisation. Fifty patients were assigned to LAC group and 44 to LMBT group. The intention-to-treat cure rates were 92% and 91%, whereas the per-protocol cure rates were 92% and 97%, respectively. Side effects were common, with 56% experiencing moderate to severe symptoms in the LAC group and 59% in the LMBT group. Symptoms of vomiting, diarrhoea and black stools were significantly more common in the LMBT group. Patient compliance was 100% for triple therapy and 86% for quadruple therapy (P < 0.01). One-third of patients in both groups were still taking acid-reducing medications at six-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION: One-week triple and quadruple therapies have similar intention-to-treat eradication rates. Certain side effects are more common with quadruple therapy, which can compromise patient compliance. Patient education or modifications to the regimen are alternative options to improve compliance of the quadruple regimen.

Meta-analysis: the efficacy, adverse events, and adherence related to first-line anti-Helicobacter pylori quadruple therapies

BACKGROUND

Owing to rising drug-resistant Helicobacter pylori infections, currently recommended proton-pump inhibitor-based triple therapies are losing their efficacy, and regimens efficacious in the presence of drug resistance are needed.

AIMS

To summarize the efficacy, safety and adherence of first-line quadruple H. pylori therapies in adults.

METHODS

Meta-regression models identified factors explaining variation in the efficacy of first-line quadruple therapies from 145 treatment arms. Estimates of average efficacy were calculated within homogeneous groups.

RESULTS

Quadruple therapy containing a gastric acid inhibitor, bismuth, metronidazole and tetracycline was enhanced when omeprazole was included, treatment duration lasted 10-14 days, and when therapy took place in the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia. Treatment efficacy decreased as the prevalence of metronidazole resistance increased. Even in areas with a high prevalence of metronidazole resistance, this quadruple regimen eradicated more than 85% of H. pylori infections when it contained omeprazole and was given for 10-14 days. Furthermore, in the presence of clarithromycin resistance, this quadruple regimen eradicated 90-100% of H. pylori infections, while the currently recommended triple therapy containing clarithromycin, amoxicillin and a proton-pump inhibitor eradicated only 25-61% (P < 0.001). Adherence and adverse events for quadruple therapy were similar to currently recommended triple therapies.

CONCLUSIONS

Guidelines should include quadruple therapy with a proton-pump inhibitor, a bismuth compound, metronidazole and tetracycline among recommended first-line anti-H. pylori therapies.

Ranitidine-bismuth citrate, tetracycline and metronidazole followed by triple therapy as alternative strategy for Helicobacter pylori treatment: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Eradication rates of triple therapy--a proton pump inhibitor, clarithromycin and amoxicillin twice daily for 7 days--are suboptimal in some areas of the world. Triple therapy combining ranitidine-bismuth citrate, tetracycline and metronidazole is a very effective second-line therapy. Management strategies including this treatment as first-line therapy may represent a reasonable choice.

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy of a strategy combining ranitidine-bismuth citrate triple therapy followed by a proton pump inhibitor-based triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication in a pilot study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred and thirty-six consecutive H. pylori-positive patients were treated with 400 mg ranitidine-bismuth citrate twice daily, 500 mg tetracycline three times daily and 500 mg metronidazole three times daily for 7 days. Second-line therapy consisted of 20 mg omeprazole twice daily, 500 mg clarithromycin twice daily and 1 g amoxicillin twice daily for 7 days. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by histology or the urea breath test.

RESULTS

Cure rates were 109/136 patients [80.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 72-86%] by intention to treat and 109/127 (85.8%; 95% CI, 78-91%) per protocol. Fifteen of the patients with treatment failure received second-line treatment. Cure rates for the strategy as a whole were 119/136 (87.5%; 95% CI, 81-92%) by intention to treat and 119/123 (96.8%; 95% CI, 92-99%) per protocol.

CONCLUSIONS

The strategy achieves good eradication rates. As the first-line therapy avoids the use of clarithromycin, it could be useful in areas where high resistance to this antibiotic lead to poor results with triple therapy.

Triple vs. quadruple therapy for treating Helicobacter pylori infection: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Triple therapy (proton pump inhibitor, clarithromycin and amoxicillin or an imidazole) is the first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection. However, the effectiveness of triple therapy is decreasing due to the increase in antibiotic resistance. Quadruple therapy (proton pump inhibitor, tetracycline, metronidazole and a bismuth salt) is a very effective regimen even in areas of high prevalence of antibiotic resistance, and may be an alternative first-line treatment.

AIM

To compare triple vs. quadruple therapy for the first-line treatment of H. pylori infection.

METHODS

An extensive literature search was performed to identify randomized trials comparing triple vs. quadruple therapy. Selected trials were included in a meta-analysis using Review Manager 4.1.

RESULTS

Four studies met the inclusion criteria. Eradication rates with quadruple therapy were slightly higher in both the intention-to-treat (81% vs. 78%; odds ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-1.14) and per protocol (88% vs. 85%; odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-1.20) analysis, although the differences were not statistically significant. Nor were there significant differences in compliance or adverse effects between the therapies.

CONCLUSION

Triple and quadruple therapies seem to be roughly equivalent in terms of effectiveness, compliance and side-effects profile when administered as first-line treatment for H. pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori: the challenge in therapy

For the therapeutic management of Helicobacter pylori infection, the Maastricht 2-2000 Consensus Report have introduced the concept of the 'treatment package' that considers first- and second-line eradication therapies together. According to this consensus statement, the first-line therapy for H. pylori eradication is a combination of the proton pump inhibitors (PPI) or ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC) and claritromycin plus either amoxicillin or metronidazole. The second-line treatment is suggested to be PPI-quadruple therapy for a minimum of 7 days. If bismuth compounds are not available, PPI-based triple therapy will have to be used as a second-line treatment only after susceptibility testing. Since no considerable progress has been made during the past year in treatment regimens, there is still a need for new compounds that are specific for H. pylori, which could constitute future therapies.

Alternative and rescue treatment regimens for Helicobacter pylori eradication

Eradication therapy has been incorporated into clinical practice. The regimens currently recommended for first-line treatment include a 2-week bismuth-based triple therapy (mainly in developing countries), a 1 - 2 week proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapy and a 1-week ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC)-based triple therapy. However, these regimens fail to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in up to 20% of patients due to poor compliance, inadequate treatment duration, smoking, old age and bacterial resistance to nitroimidazoles and/or macrolides in particular. Therefore, alternative regimens that avoid nitroimidazoles and/or macrolides or overcome bacterial resistance to these drugs, improve compliance, minimise side effects and/or reduce costs have been evaluated. One-week quadruple therapy, which adds a PPI or histamine receptor 2-blocker to bismuth-based triple therapy, usually achieves an eradication rate of 90% when used as an alternative first-line therapy but the efficacy decreases when used as a rescue therapy. Several new triple therapies that may be used as alternative and/or rescue therapies have been evaluated. Among these are furazolidone-based (furazolidone plus an antibiotic and a bismuth salt, a PPI or RBC), fluoroquinolone-based (levofloxacin or moxifloxacin plus an antibiotic and a PPI) and ecabet sodium-based (ecabet plus two antibiotics) triple therapies. Recently, rifabutin has been used in combination with a PPI and amoxycillin as a rescue therapy, with satisfactory eradication rates. In addition, a number of new antimicrobial agents are currently under investigation in in vitro studies but the clinical values of these agents needs to be confirmed.

One-week triple vs. quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection - a randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Seven-day triple therapy including omeprazole, clarithromycin and amoxicillin has become the treatment of choice for Helicobacter pylori infection. However, 7 days of classical quadruple therapy combining omeprazole, tetracycline, metronidazole and bismuth may be an alternative to triple therapy.

AIM

To compare triple vs. quadruple therapy for H.pylori eradication.

METHODS

Three hundred and thirty-nine patients with peptic ulcer and H. pylori infection were included in the study. Patients were randomized to receive omeprazole, 20 mg, amoxicillin, 1 g, and clarithromycin, 500 mg, all b.d., or omeprazole, 20 mg b.d., tetracycline chloride, 500 mg, metronidazole, 500 mg, and bismuth subcitrate, 120 mg, all t.d.s. Cure was defined as a negative urea breath test at least 2 months after treatment.

RESULTS

Per protocol and intention-to-treat cure rates were 86%[95% confidence interval (CI), 80-91%] and 77% (95% CI, 70-83%) for triple therapy, and 89% (95% CI, 82-93%) and 83% (95% CI, 76-88%) for quadruple therapy. No significant differences between the groups were found in the cure rates, compliance or side-effects.

CONCLUSION

One-week triple and quadruple therapy show similar results when used as first-line eradication treatment.

Helicobacter pylori infection: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and therapy

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most commonly encountered human pathogens. It has been shown to be closely associated with peptic ulcer disease (PUD), gastric adenocarcinoma, and the gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) that may lead to gastric lymphoma. The current diagnostic methods include histology, microbiological culture, classic serology, urease activity detection, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and stool antigen detection. Its treatment modality options are multiple; however, a triple regimen consisting of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), and two antibiotics for 10 to 14 days is preferred. Drug resistance is a growing problem in this organism and new therapeutic options are currently limited.