Daewoong Pharmaceutical has raised the possibility of halving the treatment duration for Helicobacter pylori eradication using its gastroesophageal reflux disease medication, Fexuclue.
The company announced on Oct. 23 that a seven-day triple therapy incorporating Fexuclue (fexuprazan hydrochloride) demonstrated no statistically significant difference in H. pylori eradication rates compared to a conventional 14-day triple therapy utilizing a proton pump inhibitor (PPI).
H. pylori eradication regimens typically combine acid-suppressing drugs with antibiotics. Standard PPI-based triple therapy requires taking an acid suppressant alongside two antibiotics for 14 days. In this study, researchers substituted the conventional PPI with Fexuclue—a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB)—and shortened the treatment period to seven days to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy.
To assess whether the abbreviated Fexuclue regimen could serve as a viable alternative, a research team led by Professor Park Sung-chul of the Department of Gastroenterology at Kangwon National University Hospital conducted a randomized, single-center trial. The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of the seven-day Fexuclue triple therapy against the standard 14-day PPI triple therapy in 79 Korean patients who had not previously undergone H. pylori eradication treatment.
Among patients who completed the prescribed regimen and follow-up evaluations, the seven-day Fexuclue group achieved an eradication rate of 83.78%, compared to 88.89% in the 14-day PPI group. The difference was not statistically significant, demonstrating comparable efficacy between the one-week P-CAB regimen and the two-week PPI regimen.
The study’s findings were presented as a poster at major academic conferences, including the International Symposium on Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Diseases (HUG), and were published last September in the international journal Medicine.
"I hope these findings provide valuable clinical evidence for physicians evaluating optimal treatment durations and strategies for H. pylori eradication," said Professor Park Sung-chul.
Park Hyung-cheol, head of the ETC Marketing Division at Daewoong Pharmaceutical, added, "This study establishes new clinical evidence supporting a streamlined seven-day Fexuclue-based regimen for H. pylori eradication."
