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Potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs), such as vonoprazan, represent a novel and heterogeneous class of drugs that competitively block the potassium binding site of gastric H+/K+ ATPase, thus potentially overcoming the limitations of proton-pump inhibitors. Different studies evaluated the efficacy of vonoprazan versus proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) for the treatment of acid-related disorders, and, therefore, P-CABs present the same indications of PPIs: gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric and duodenal ulcer healing, management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-associated ulcers and Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. The aim of this review was to evaluate the role of vonoprazan for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and the management of gastric ulcer occurring after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Indeed, vonoprazan (at the dose of both 10 and 20mg) showed similar results to PPIs in patients taking long-term NSAIDs, in the absence of severe adverse effects, and provided a more rapid and effective treatment of ulcers induced by ESD. However, studies in medical literature are heterogeneous, mainly performed with a retrospective design, and often carried out in Japan only. For these reasons, further prospective, randomized studies are warranted in order to help physicians, patients, and policymakers regarding the use of vonoprazan in clinical practice.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are two pathological conditions often strictly related, even if a clear relationship of causality has not been demonstrated. GERD is a frequent comorbidity in IPF patients, as demonstrated using combined multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH, despite being mostly clinically silent. According to that, it has been hypothesized that microaspiration of gastric material may play a fundamental role in the fibrotic transformation of pulmonary parenchyma. In contrast, it cannot be excluded that IPF may favor GERD by increasing the negative intrathoracic pressure. Therefore, this relationship is uncertain as well as not univocal. Nevertheless, the latest international guidelines recommend the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in IPF based on several data showing that PPIs can stabilize lung function, reduce disease flares and hospitalizations. On the contrary, recent studies not only question the relevance of these results, but also associate the use of PPIs with an increased risk of lung infections and a negative prognostic outcome. The aim of this review is to analyze the possible links between GERD and IPF and their possible therapeutic implications, trying to translate this scientific evidence into useful information for clinical practice.