Efficacy of moxifloxacin-based sequential and hybrid therapy for first-line Helicobacter pylori eradication

Practice guidelines for the management of Helicobacter pylori infection: The Saudi H. pylori Working Group recommendations

The eradication rates for Helicobacter pylori globally are decreasing with a dramatic increase in the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria all over the world, including Saudi Arabia. There is no current consensus on the management of H. pylori in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Gastroenterology Association developed these practice guidelines after reviewing the local and regional studies on the management of H. pylori. The aim was to establish recommendations to guide healthcare providers in managing H. pylori in Saudi Arabia. Experts in the areas of H. pylori management and microbiology were invited to write these guidelines. A literature search was performed, and all authors participated in writing and reviewing the guidelines. In addition, international guidelines and consensus reports were reviewed to bridge the gap in knowledge when local and regional data were unavailable. There is limited local data on treatment of H. pylori. The rate of clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance is high; therefore, standard triple therapy for 10-14 days is no longer recommended in the treatment of H. pylori unless antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed. Based on the available data, bismuth quadruple therapy for 10-14 days is considered the best first-line and second-line therapy. Culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing should be considered following two treatment failures. These recommendations are intended to provide the most relevant evidence-based guidelines for the management of H. pylori infection in Saudi Arabia. The working group recommends further studies to explore more therapeutic options to eradicate H. pylori.

Is hybrid therapy more efficient in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection? A systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Hybrid therapy (HT) is a non-bismuth quadruple therapy created to surpass Helicobacter pylori's (H. pylori) resistance rates to antibiotics. HT has excellent eradication rates, as well as a very good compliance and safety profile. We aim to compare HT with sequential therapy (ST) and concomitant therapy (CT) for the eradication of H. pylori.

METHODS

This systematic review was conducted following the principles of the PRISMA guidelines. Literature was electronically searched on the CENTRAL library, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, LILACS, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Only randomized controlled trials were included. The primary outcome evaluated was eradication rate of H. pylori. The secondary outcomes evaluated were adverse events and compliance rates. Meta-analyses were performed with Cochrane Review Manager 5.4. The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to estimate the pooled relative risk and 95% confidence interval of the eradication rates between HT and other regimens, as well as the secondary outcomes.

RESULTS

10 studies were included, comprising 2993 patients. The mean eradication rates achieved by HT with intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses were, respectively, 86% (range: 79.2-90.8%) and 91.7% (range: 82.6-96.1%). No statistically significant difference was found in ITT eradication rate between HT and CT (relative risk: 1; 95% CI: 0.96- 1.03) and between HT and ST (relative risk: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.92-1.14). PP analysis revealed similar results. HT was associated with higher compliance rates than CT and slightly lower than ST. As far as adverse events are concerned, this meta-analysis demonstrated a higher occurrence of adverse events on the group of patients treated with CT when compared with HT. HT and ST showed similar results.

CONCLUSION

HT has similar eradication, compliance and adverse event rates when compared to ST, but a better safety profile than the CT.

Comparative efficacy and safety of high-dose dual therapy, bismuth-based quadruple therapy and non-bismuth quadruple therapies for Helicobacter pylori infection: a network meta-analysis

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with the development of multiple diseases. The eradication rate of H. pylori has gradually decreased, suggesting the need to discover more effective therapies. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of first-line treatments including high-dose dual therapy (HDDT), bismuth-based quadruple therapy (BQT), sequential therapy (ST), concomitant therapy (CT) and hybrid therapy (HT) by network meta-analysis (NMA). A comprehensive search on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science, was performed from their inception to 1 September 2019. A network analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing first-line therapies were carried out using Stata 14.0 and Revman 5.2. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was conducted by omitting non-Asian studies. Finally, 41 RCTs with 14 119 patients were included. The NMA showed that, in terms of eradication rate, ST for 10 days (ST-10) was significantly lower than CT for 10 or 14 days (CT ≥ 10). Sensitivity analysis among the Asian population showed that ST-10 denoted the lowest effectiveness among the interventions. The ranking results based on probability showed that HDDT ranked first for the eradication rate. As for adverse events, HDDT was significantly less than BQT and CT regardless of duration, while BQT for 14 days represented higher adverse events than ST, HT and CT ≥ 10. HDDT ranked first among the therapies. In conclusion, HDDT for 14 days appeared to be the most optimal first-line therapy for H. pylori among the Asian population with comparable efficacy and compliance but causing fewer adverse events.

[New Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapies]

While the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is decreasing in Korea, the incidence of gastric cancer remains high, emphasizing the importance of H. pylori eradication. A new treatment strategy is needed as the eradication rate with standard triple therapy, which is currently the standard first-line regimen for H. pylori infection, has decreased below the optimum level. The major cause of eradication failure is increased antibiotic resistance. Sequential, concurrent, and hybrid therapies that include clarithromycin produce higher eradication rates than conventional standard triple therapy. However, the effectiveness of these treatments is limited in regions where the resistance rate to various antibiotics is high. Bismuth quadruple therapy is another alternative therapy, but again the eradication rate is not sufficiently high. Tailored therapy based on individual characteristics, including antibiotic susceptibility, may be ideal, but there are several limitations for clinical application and further research is needed. New potassium-competitive acid blocker-based therapies could emerge as effective alternatives in the near future. A consensus is needed to establish a strategy for applying new eradication therapies in Korea.

[The Efficacy of Bismuth-containing Quadruple Therapy after Moxifloxacin-based Sequential Therapy Failure in Helicobacter pylori Eradication]

Background/Aims

Moxifloxacin-based sequential therapy showed an excellent eradication rate as the first line treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. However, to the best of our knowledge, there were only a few studies on the treatment of those with failed moxifloxacin-based sequential therapy. Hence, this study was to investigate the efficacy of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy in those with failed moxifloxacin-based sequential or reverse sequential therapy for H. pylori eradication.

Methods

Between January 2013 and March 2016, we retrospectively analyzed patients who failed to eradicate H. pylori using moxifloxacin-based sequential (rabeprazole 20 mg bid and amoxicillin 1 g bid for 5-7 days, followed by rabeprazole 20 mg bid, metronidazole 500 mg bid, and moxifloxacin 400 mg qd for 5-7 days) and 10 days moxifloxacin-based reverse sequential therapy as the first line treatment. Then we investigated the eradication rates of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy as the second line treatment. All subjects had no history of H. pylori eradication before. Eradication rates were described as intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses. H. pylori status was evaluated by ¹³C-urea breath test 6 weeks after the end of the treatment. Moreover, we examined any side effects that caused discontinuation of therapy.

Results

Twenty-three patients received bismuth-containing quadruple therapy as the second line treatment. The overall eradication rates by ITT and PP analyses were 60.87% (n=14/23) and 73.68% (n=14/19). All the patients showed good compliance, and there were no serious adverse events.

Conclusions

Bismuth-containing quadruple therapy is insufficient as the second line eradication treatment after a failed attempt of moxifloxacin-based sequential or reverse sequential therapy. Large-scale clinical trials should be performed to establish better clinical evidence.

Efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapies in Korea: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication regimens may depend on the country where the studies were performed because of the difference in antibiotic resistance. We aimed to analyze the efficacy of H. pylori eradication regimens in Korea where clarithromycin resistance rate is high.

METHODS

We searched for all relevant randomized controlled trials published until November 2016 that investigated the efficacy of H. pylori eradication therapies in Korea. A network meta-analysis was performed to calculate the direct and indirect estimates of efficacy among the eradication regimens.

RESULTS

Forty-three studies were identified through a systematic review, of which 34 studies, published since 2005, were included in the meta-analysis. Among 21 included regimens, quinolone-containing sequential therapy for 14 days (ST-Q-14) showed the highest eradication rate (91.4% [95% confidence interval [CI], 86.9%-94.4%] in the intention-to-treat [ITT] analysis). The eradication rate of the conventional triple therapy for 7 days, standard sequential therapy for 10 days, hybrid therapy for 10-14 days, and concomitant therapy for 10-14 days was 71.1% (95% CI, 68.3%-73.7%), 76.2% (95% CI, 72.8%-79.3%), 79.4% (95% CI, 75.5%-82.8%), and 78.3% (95% CI, 75.3%-80.9%), respectively, in the ITT analysis. In the network meta-analysis, ST-Q-14 showed a better comparative efficacy than the conventional triple therapy, standard sequential therapy, hybrid therapy, and concomitant therapy. In addition, tolerability of ST-Q-14 was comparable to those regimens.

CONCLUSION

In Korea, ST-Q-14 showed the highest efficacy in terms of eradication and a comparable tolerability, compared to the results reported for the conventional triple therapy, standard sequential therapy, hybrid therapy, and concomitant therapy.

Hybrid Therapy Regimen for Helicobacter Pylori Eradication

Objective:

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication remains a challenge with increasing antibiotic resistance. Hybrid therapy has attracted widespread attention because of initial report with good efficacy and safety. However, many issues on hybrid therapy are still unclear such as the eradication efficacy, safety, compliance, influencing factors, correlation with antibiotic resistance, and comparison with other regimens. Therefore, a comprehensive review on the evidence of hybrid therapy for H. pylori infection was conducted.

Data Sources:

The data used in this review were mainly from PubMed articles published in English up to September 30, 2015, searching by the terms of “Helicobacter pylori” or “H. pylori”, and “hybrid”.

Study Selection:

Clinical research articles were selected mainly according to their level of relevance to this topic.

Results:

Totally, 1871 patients of 12 studies received hybrid therapy. The eradication rates were 77.6–97.4% in intention-to-treat and 82.6–99.1% in per-protocol analyses. Compliance was 93.3–100.0%, overall adverse effects rate was 14.5–67.5%, and discontinued medication rate due to adverse effects was 0–6.7%. H. pylori culture and sensitivity test were performed only in 13.3% patients. Pooled analysis showed that the eradication rates with dual clarithromycin and metronidazole susceptible, isolated metronidazole or clarithromycin resistance, and dual clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance were 98.5%, 97.6%, 92.9%, and 80.0%, respectively. Overall, the efficacy, compliance, and safety of hybrid therapy were similar with sequential or concomitant therapy. However, hybrid therapy might be superior to sequential therapy in Asians.

Conclusions:

Hybrid therapy showed wide differences in the efficacy but consistently good compliance and safety across different regions. Dual clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance were the key factor to efficacy. Hybrid therapy was similar to sequential or concomitant therapy in the efficacy, safety, and compliance.

Hybrid Therapy as First-Line Regimen for Helicobacter pylori Eradication in Populations with High Antibiotic Resistance Rates

BACKGROUND

Hybrid therapy has recently attracted widespread attention. However, many issues require further exploration. For example, research in regions with high antibiotic resistance rates is limited, and the correlation between eradication efficacy and antibiotic resistance remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy, compliance, safety, and risk factors of hybrid therapy as first-line regimen in a region with high antibiotic resistance rates.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary hospital between January 2014 and June 2015. A total of 196 patients with dyspepsia but without prior eradication therapy received hybrid regimen (esomeprazole 20 mg and amoxicillin 1000 mg twice daily for 14 days with the addition of clarithromycin 500 mg and tinidazole 500 mg twice daily for the final 7 days). All patients underwent Helicobacter pylori culture, antibiotic susceptibility testing and cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 2C19 polymorphism testing.

RESULTS

Hybrid therapy achieved eradication rates of 77.0% (95% confidence interval (CI), 70.9-83.7%) in intention-to-treat (ITT), 83.9% (78.9-88.9%) in modified ITT and 86.0% (80.2-91.3%) in per-protocol analyses in a setting with high antibiotic resistance rates (amoxicillin 2.0%, clarithromycin 44.9%, metronidazole 67.3% and dual clarithromycin and metronidazole 33.3%). Adverse reactions occurred in 31.9% patients and 2.7% discontinued medications due to adverse reactions. Good compliance was achieved by 92.0%. Multivariate analyses identified clarithromycin resistance (odds ratio, 3.494; 95% CI, 1.237-9.869), metronidazole resistance (3.012; 1.013-12.054) and poor compliance (5.840; 1.126-30.296) as independent predictors of treatment failure. The eradication rate with dual clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance (70.2%) was markedly decreased compared to isolated clarithromycin resistance (87.5%), isolated metronidazole resistance (88.6%), or dual susceptibility (96.4%) (p = .014).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite good compliance and safety, hybrid therapy as first-line regimen in populations with high antibiotic resistance rates had unsatisfactory efficacy, primarily due to dual clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance.

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection 2016

Many interesting articles have been published from different parts of the world over the last year assessing various issues around Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. This article will address the published literature over the last year pertaining to the topic of treatment of H. pylori infection. The main themes that emerge are assessing the efficacy of standard triple therapy, as well as exploring new first-line treatments, mainly optimized nonbismuth-containing and bismuth-containing quadruple therapies with some promising data also emerging on dual therapy. There was also considerable progress in investigating antibiotic resistance rates with much more data emerging from varied parts of the world compared to recent years. Advances in the use of adjunctive therapies, especially probiotic therapies have also been made. Undoubtedly, the eradication of H. pylori remains a worthwhile goal to alleviate the burden of diseases caused by the complications of this infection, including dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer.

Hybrid, sequential and concomitant therapies for Helicobacter pylori eradication: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: To compare hybrid therapy (HT) with traditional sequential therapy (ST) and concomitant therapy (CT) for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication.

METHODS: We performed an electronic search of PubMed, Embase, and the CENTRAL database. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HT were included in the meta-analysis. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori. The secondary outcomes included the compliance rate and adverse event rate. Effect estimates were pooled using the random-effects model.

RESULTS: Twelve studies were included. Pooled results showed no significant differences in eradication rate between HT and ST in per-protocol (PP) analysis (RR = 1.03, 95%CI: 0.94-1.12, P = 0.59) or in intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (RR = 1.00, 95%CI: 0.89-1.12, P = 0.94). HT and ST showed similarly high compliance rate (96% vs 98%, P = 0.55) and acceptable adverse event rate (30.3% vs 28.2%, P = 0.63). No significant results were seen in the eradication rate between HT and CT in PP analysis (RR = 1.01, 95%CI: 0.96-1.05, P = 0.76) or in ITT analysis (RR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.95-1.03, P = 0.47). HT displayed a slightly higher compliance rate than CT (95.8% vs 93.2%, P < 0.05). The adverse event rates of HT and CT were similar (39.5% vs 44.2%, P = 0.24).

CONCLUSION: Compared with ST or CT, HT yields a similar eradication rate, high compliance rate, and acceptable safety profiles.

Negative short-term impact of intraoperative biliary lavage in patients with hepatolithiasis

AIM: To evaluate short-term outcomes following intraoperative biliary lavage for hepatolithiasis.

METHODS: A total of 932 patients who were admitted to the West China Medical Center of Sichuan University between January 2010 and January 2014 and underwent bile duct exploration and lithotomy were retrospectively included in our study. The patients were divided into the lavage group and the control group. Related pre-, intra-, and postoperative factors were recorded, analyzed, and compared between the two groups in order to verify the effects of biliary lavage on the short-term outcome of patients with hepatolithiasis.

RESULTS: Amongst the patients who were included, 678 patients with hepatolithiasis were included in the lavage group, and the other 254 patients were enrolled in the control group. Data analyses revealed that preoperative baseline and related intraoperative variables were not significantly different. However, patients who underwent intraoperative biliary lavage had prolonged postoperative hospital stays (6.67 d vs 7.82 d, P = 0.024), higher hospitalization fees (RMB 28437.1 vs RMB 32264.2, P = 0.043), higher positive rates of bacterial cultures from blood (13.3% vs 25.8%, P = 0.001) and bile (23.6% vs 40.7%, P = 0.001) samples, and increased usage of advanced antibiotics (26.3% vs 38.2%, P = 0.001). In addition, in the lavage group, more patients had fever (> 37.5 °C, 81.4% vs 91.1%, P = 0.001) and hyperthermia (> 38.5°C，39.7% vs 54.9%, P = 0.001), and higher white blood cell counts within 7 d after the operation compared to the control group.

CONCLUSION: Intraoperative biliary lavage might increase the risk of postoperative infection, while not significantly increasing gallstone removal rate.