Alternative and rescue treatment regimens for Helicobacter pylori eradication.
Eradication therapy has been incorporated into clinical practice. The regimens currently recommended for first-line treatment include a 2-week bismuth-based triple therapy (mainly in developing countries), a 1 - 2 week proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapy and a 1-week ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC)-based triple therapy. However, these regimens fail to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in up to 20% of patients due to poor compliance, inadequate treatment duration, smoking, old age and bacterial resistance to nitroimidazoles and/or macrolides in particular. Therefore, alternative regimens that avoid nitroimidazoles and/or macrolides or overcome bacterial resistance to these drugs, improve compliance, minimise side effects and/or reduce costs have been evaluated. One-week quadruple therapy, which adds a PPI or histamine receptor 2-blocker to bismuth-based triple therapy, usually achieves an eradication rate of 90% when used as an alternative first-line therapy but the efficacy decreases when used as a rescue therapy. Several new triple therapies that may be used as alternative and/or rescue therapies have been evaluated. Among these are furazolidone-based (furazolidone plus an antibiotic and a bismuth salt, a PPI or RBC), fluoroquinolone-based (levofloxacin or moxifloxacin plus an antibiotic and a PPI) and ecabet sodium-based (ecabet plus two antibiotics) triple therapies. Recently, rifabutin has been used in combination with a PPI and amoxycillin as a rescue therapy, with satisfactory eradication rates. In addition, a number of new antimicrobial agents are currently under investigation in in vitro studies but the clinical values of these agents needs to be confirmed.
Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, China. hhxxia@hku.hk
Harry Hua-Xiang
HH
Xia
Benjamin Chun
BC
Yu Wong
Nicholas J
NJ
Talley
Shiu Kum
SK
Lam
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents