BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori infections have become increasingly difficult to treat.

AIM

To examine whether amoxicillin and high-dose dexlansoprazole would reliably achieve an H. pylori eradication rate of ≥90%.

METHODS

An open-label prospective pilot study of H. pylori eradication in treatment-naïve subjects with active H. pylori infection (positive by two tests).

THERAPY

amoxicillin 1 g and dexlansoprazole 120 mg each twice a day at approximately 12-hour intervals for 14 days. Success was accessed by urea breath test. An effective therapy was defined as a per-protocol treatment success of 90% or greater; treatment success of 80% or less was prespecified as an unacceptable result.

RESULTS

After 13 subjects were entered (12 men, one woman; average age of 54 years), the prespecified stopping rule of six treatment failures was achieved (i.e., the 95% confidence interval excluded achieving the required 90% success rate even if the proposed study of 50 completed patients were entered) and enrollment was stopped. Per-protocol and intention-to-treat treatment success were both 53.8%; (7/13); 95% CI = 25-80%. Compliance was 100%. Three patients (23%) reported side effects, all of which were mild and none interrupted therapy.

CONCLUSION

Theoretically, dual PPI plus amoxicillin should reliably eradicate H. pylori provided nearly neutral intragastric pH can be maintained. Clearly, dexlansoprazole, despite being administered at high dose and twice a day (i.e., total daily dose 240 mg), failed to achieve an intragastric milieu consistent with dual PPI plus amoxicillin therapy being an effective anti-H. pylori regimen.