The effects of changing temperature correction factors on measures of acidity calculated from gastric and oesophageal pH recordings

Interchangeable Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors Based on Relative Potency

Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used, their relative potency and ideal dosing regimens remain unclear. We analyzed data from randomized clinical trials that performed pH testing in patients receiving solid-dose PPI formulations (omeprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole) for a minimum of 5 days. We used omeprazole equivalency and the surrogate biomarker, percentage time pH > 4 over a 24-hour period (pH4time), to compare PPI effectiveness for different PPIs given once, twice, or 3 times daily. We found that increasing strength of once-daily PPIs (9-64 mg omeprazole equivalents) increased pH4time linearly from approximately 10.0 to 15.6 hours; higher doses produced no further increase in pH4time. Increasing the frequency to twice-daily PPI increased pH4time linearly, from approximately 15.8 to 21.0 hours. Three-times daily PPIs performed similarly to twice-daily PPIs. The costs of PPIs varied greatly, but the cost variation was not directly related to potency. We conclude that PPIs can be used interchangeably based on potency. Using twice-daily PPIs is more effective in increasing efficacy increasing once-daily PPI dosage. Omeprazole and lansoprazole (30 mg) and 20 mg of esomeprazole rabeprazole are functionally equivalent.

Exploring the physiologic role of human gastroesophageal reflux by analyzing time-series data from 24-h gastric and esophageal pH recordings

Our previous finding of a fractal pattern for gastric pH and esophageal pH plus the statistical association of sequential pH values for up to 2 h led to our hypothesis that the fractal pattern encodes information regarding gastric acidity and that depending on the value of gastric acidity, the esophagus can signal the stomach to alter gastric acidity by influencing gastric secretion of acid or bicarbonate. Under our hypothesis values of gastric pH should provide information regarding values of esophageal pH and vice versa. We used vector autoregression, a theory‐free set of inter‐related linear regressions used to measure relationships that can change over time, to analyze data from 24‐h recordings of gastric pH and esophageal pH. We found that in pH records from normal subjects, as well as from subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease alone and after treatment with a proton pump inhibitor, gastric pH values provided important information regarding subsequent values of esophageal pH and values of esophageal pH provided important information regarding subsequent values of gastric pH. The ability of gastric pH and esophageal pH to provide information regarding subsequent values of each other was reduced in subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease compared to normal subjects. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that depending on the value of gastric acidity, the esophagus can signal the stomach to alter gastric acidity, and that this ability is impaired in subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

We found that in pH records from normal subjects, as well as from subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease alone and after treatment with a proton pump inhibitor, gastric pH values provided important information regarding subsequent values of esophageal pH and values of esophageal pH provided important information regarding subsequent values of gastric pH. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that depending on the value of gastric acidity, the esophagus can signal the stomach to alter gastric acidity, and that this ability is impaired in subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

An open-label, parallel, multiple-dose study comparing the pharmacokinetics and gastric acid suppression of rabeprazole extended-release with esomeprazole 40 mg and rabeprazole delayed-release 20 mg in healthy volunteers

BACKGROUND

Novel rabeprazole extended-release (ER) formulations were developed to provide prolonged gastric acid suppression and potentially improved clinical outcomes in GERD patients.

AIM

To evaluate the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of six rabeprazole-ER formulations vs. esomeprazole 40 mg and rabeprazole delayed-release (DR) 20 mg.

METHODS

Helicobacter pylori-negative healthy subjects were randomised to receive one of eight treatments once daily for 5 days. Twenty-four-hour intragastric pH was monitored on days -1, 1 and 5. Rabeprazole plasma concentrations were measured on day 5.

RESULTS

A total of 248 subjects (N=31/group) were enrolled in the study. On day 5, rabeprazole-ER groups provided mean durations of 18.5-20.2 h (77.0-84.1% of 24-h) with intragastric pH >4.0 vs. esomeprazole 40 mg (15.9 h/66.1% of 24-h) and rabeprazole-DR 20 mg (15.2 h/63.2% of 24-h). A similar increase was observed on day 1. While percentage of daytime (8 am-10 pm) with intragastric pH >4.0 on day 5 was overall similar across the groups, percentage of night-time (10 pm-8 am) with intragastric pH >4.0 was higher with the rabeprazole-ER groups (57.0-72.4%) vs. esomeprazole 40 mg (32.8%) and rabeprazole-DR 20 mg (34.0%).

CONCLUSION

Rabeprazole-ER once daily for 5 days demonstrated a significantly longer duration of gastric acid suppression in 24 h vs. esomeprazole 40 mg and rabeprazole-DR 20 mg. The increase in acid suppression was predominantly due to prolonged acid suppression during the night-time; this was supported by the extended-release pharmacokinetic characteristics.

Time esophageal pH < 4 overestimates the prevalence of pathologic esophageal reflux in subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease treated with proton pump inhibitors

Background

A Stanford University study reported that in asymptomatic GERD patients who were being treated with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), 50% had pathologic esophageal acid exposure.

Aim

We considered the possibility that the high prevalence of pathologic esophageal reflux might simply have resulted from calculating acidity as time pH < 4.

Methods

We calculated integrated acidity and time pH < 4 from the 49 recordings of 24-hour gastric and esophageal pH from the Stanford study as well as from another study of 57 GERD subjects, 26 of whom were treated for 8 days with 20 mg omeprazole or 20 mg rabeprazole in a 2-way crossover fashion.

Results

The prevalence of pathologic 24-hour esophageal reflux in both studies was significantly higher when measured as time pH < 4 than when measured as integrated acidity. This difference was entirely attributable to a difference between the two measures during the nocturnal period. Nocturnal gastric acid breakthrough was not a useful predictor of pathologic nocturnal esophageal reflux.

Conclusion

In GERD subjects treated with a PPI, measuring time esophageal pH < 4 will significantly overestimate the prevalence of pathologic esophageal acid exposure over 24 hours and during the nocturnal period.