On-demand therapy for Los Angeles grade A and B reflux esophagitis: esomeprazole versus omeprazole.

Background and Purpose: Reflux esophagitis of Los Angeles grade A or B is more common than grades C and D disease among Taiwanese. This study compared the efficacy of esomeprazole 40 mg and omeprazole 20 mg for starting on-demand therapy for grade A and B reflux esophagitis.
Methods: 100 patients with grade A and B reflux esophagitis were randomized to receive either esomeprazole 40 mg once daily (n = 50) or omeprazole 20 mg once daily (n = 50) for the first 4 weeks. Sustained symptomatic response (SSR) was defined as freedom from symptoms for the last 7 days of the 4-week treatment duration. On-demand therapy was used for the next 4 weeks in patients with SSR; patients without SSR continued with the same proton pump inhibitor regimen. Patients were asked to record their daily severity of acid regurgitation (AR) and heartburn (HB). Medication usage during on-demand therapy was recorded.
Results: Forty six patients in the esomeprazole group and 45 patients in the omeprazole group completed the study protocol. The rate of SSR was higher in the esomeprazole group than in the omeprazole group (per-protocol: 73.9% vs 51.1%, p < 0.05; intent-to-treat: 68% vs 46%, p < 0.05). The symptomatic scores for AR and HB were similar between patients taking medication continuously and those taking medication on-demand with both esomeprazole and omeprazole. For patients starting on-demand therapy, the total number of tablets used during 4 weeks was lower in the esomeprazole group than in the omeprazole group (13.5 vs 18.5, p < 0.05).
Conclusions: In patients with grade A and B reflux esophagitis, esomeprazole 40 mg was more effective than omeprazole 20 mg for the initiation of on-demand therapy.