Concomitant dosing of famotidine with a triple therapy increases the cure rates of Helicobacter pylori infections in patients with the homozygous extensive metabolizer genotype of CYP2C19.

BACKGROUND

Proton-pump inhibitors, such as lansoprazole, are metabolized in the liver by CYP2C19 and cannot inhibit acid sufficiently in homozygous extensive metabolizers of CYP2C19.

AIM: To examine whether famotidine would increase the cure rates of Helicobacter pylori infection by a standard triple therapy.

METHODS

A total of 177 H. pylori-positive patients were randomly assigned to either lansoprazole 30 mg b.d., clarithromycin 200 mg b.d. and amoxicillin 750 mg b.d. for 1 week (LCA group; n = 89) or famotidine 20 mg b.d., lansoprazole 30 mg b.d., clarithromycin 200 mg b.d. and amoxicillin 750 mg b.d. for 1 week (FLCA group; n = 88). Famotidine was administered after lunch and before sleep, and the others were after breakfast and dinner. CYP2C19 genotypes were determined by a polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.

RESULTS

In the LCA group, the eradication rates for homozygous extensive metabolizers, heterozygous extensive metabolizers, and poor metabolizers were 63%, 87%, and 100%, respectively (P = 0.014). Those in the FLCA group were 85%, 85%, and 100%, respectively (N.S.). The cure rate for homozygous extensive metabolizers in the FLCA group was significantly higher than that in the LCA group (P = 0.035).

CONCLUSION

Famotidine improves the cure rate of H. pylori infection by a triple therapy in CYP2C19 homozygous extensive metabolizers patients.