Vonoprazan 10 mg or 20 mg vs. lansoprazole 15 mg as maintenance therapy in Asian patients with healed erosive esophagitis: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Erosive esophagitis (EE) is a gastroesophageal reflux disease characterized by mucosal breaks in the esophagus. Proton pump inhibitors are widely used as maintenance therapy for EE, but many patients still relapse. In this trial, we evaluated the noninferiority of vonoprazan vs. lansoprazole as maintenance therapy in patients with healed EE. METHODS: We performed a double-blind, double-dummy, multicenter, phase 3 clinical trial among non-Japanese Asian adults with endoscopically confirmed healed EE from April 2015 to February 2019. Patients from China, South Korea, and Malaysia were randomized to vonoprazan 10 mg or 20 mg once daily or lansoprazole 15 mg once daily for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was endoscopically confirmed EE recurrence rate over 24 weeks with a noninferiority margin of 10% using a two-sided 95% confidence interval (CI). Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were recorded. RESULTS: Among 703 patients, EE recurrence was observed in 24/181 (13.3%) and 21/171 (12.3%) patients receiving vonoprazan 10 mg or 20 mg, respectively, and 47/184 (25.5%) patients receiving lansoprazole (differences: -12.3% [95% CI, -20.3% to -4.3%] and -13.3% [95% CI, -21.3% to -5.3%], respectively), meeting the primary endpoint of noninferiority to lansoprazole in preventing EE recurrence at 24 weeks. Evidence of superiority (upper bound of 95% CI <0%) was also observed. At 12 weeks, endoscopically confirmed EE recurrence was observed in 5/18, 2/20, and 7/20 of patients receiving vonoprazan 10 mg, vonoprazan 20 mg, and lansoprazole, respectively. TEAEs were experienced by 66.8% (157/235), 69.0% (156/226), and 65.3% (158/242) of patients receiving vonoprazan 10 mg, vonoprazan 20 mg, and lansoprazole, respectively. The most common TEAE was upper respiratory tract infection in 12.8% (30/235) and 12.8% (29/226) patients in vonoprazan 10 mg and 20 mg groups, respectively and 8.7% (21/242) patients in lansoprazole group. CONCLUSION: Vonoprazan maintenance therapy was well-tolerated and noninferior to lansoprazole for preventing EE recurrence in Asian patients with healed EE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT02388737.

Long-Term Treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis With Budesonide Oral Suspension.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We evaluated treatment withdrawal, long-term outcomes, and safety of budesonide oral suspension (BOS) 2.0 mg twice daily in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis who completed a 12-week induction study. METHODS: Induction full responders (≤6 eosinophils per high-power field [eos/hpf] and ≥30% reduction in the Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire score) to BOS 2.0 mg twice daily (ORBIT1/SHP621-301/NCT02605837) were randomized to continue BOS (BOS-BOS) or withdraw to placebo (BOS-PBO) for 36 weeks (ORBIT2/SHP621-302/NCT02736409). Induction partial responders and nonresponders, and patients who received induction placebo, received BOS for 36 weeks. The primary end point was the proportion of BOS-BOS and BOS-PBO patients who relapsed (≥15 eos/hpf and ≥4 days of dysphagia [Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire] over 2 weeks) by week 36. The key secondary end point was the proportion of induction partial responders and nonresponders who fully responded after 52 weeks of total BOS therapy. Other secondary end points included the proportion of induction full responders with histologic responses (≤1, ≤6, <15 eos/hpf) at week 12 of the extension study, and safety outcomes. RESULTS: The randomized withdrawal period enrolled 48 patients (BOS-BOS, n = 25; BOS-PBO, n = 23); 106 induction partial responders and nonresponders, and 65 induction placebo patients received BOS. More BOS-PBO than BOS-BOS patients relapsed over 36 weeks (43.5% vs 24.0%; P = .131) and had histologic responses at week 12 of therapy (P < .001). Overall, 13.2% of induction partial responders and nonresponders fully responded at week 36. BOS was well tolerated; therapy duration was not associated with new safety concerns. CONCLUSIONS: For induction full responders, continuing BOS numerically improved maintenance of efficacy vs withdrawal. A longer therapy duration did not raise safety concerns. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02736409.).