Background: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori leads to faster ulcer healing and a significant decrease in ulcer recurrence. Clarithromycin is the most effective monotherapy for eradicating H. pylori from the gastric mucosa, and omeprazole frequently is used for the treatment of duodenal ulcer disease, prompting the interest to investigate rigorously the combination of clarithromycin and omeprazole for eradicating H. pylori.
Materials and methods: The aim of this double-blind, randomized, multicenter (n = 30), multinational (n = 10) study was to compare clarithromycin and omeprazole with omeprazole monotherapy for the eradication of H. pylori from the gastric mucosa, endoscopic healing, and reduction of symptoms and ulcer recurrence in patients with active duodenal ulcer. Patients with active duodenal ulcer associated with H. pylori infection were randomized to receive omeprazole, 40 mg every morning for 14 days, with either clarithromycin, 500 mg, or placebo three times daily, which was followed by omeprazole, 20 mg every morning for 14 days. Patients underwent endoscopy before enrolling in the study, immediately after finishing treatment, and at 4- to 6-week and 6-month follow-up evaluations or at the recurrence of symptoms.
Results: Two hundred and eight patients with active duodenal ulcer associated with confirmed H. pylori infection were randomized to treatment with either clarithromycin and omeprazole (n = 102) or omeprazole and placebo (n = 106). Four to six weeks after treatment was completed, H. pylori was eradicated in 74% (95% confidence interval, 63.0%-82.4%) of patients receiving clarithromycin and omeprazole, compared with 1% (0.0%-6.2%) of patients receiving omeprazole monotherapy (p < .001). Clarithromycin resistance developed in eight patients treated with clarithromycin and omeprazole and in none given omeprazole and placebo. Ulcers, which were healed following treatment in more than 95% of study patients, recurred by the 6-month follow-up visit in 10% (5%-19%) of dual therapy recipients, compared with 50% (39%-61%) of those who took omeprazole alone (p < .001).
Conclusion: Clarithromycin and omeprazole dual therapy is simple and well-tolerated and leads to consistently high eradication rates for patients with duodenal ulcer associated with H. pylori infection.