The esophagus is the part of your body that brings food from your mouth to your stomach, sometimes called the “food pipe”. Esophagitis is when there is inflammation or injury to the esophagus. Often esophagitis is caused by stomach acid coming up from the stomach into the esophagus, also known as gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Though there are other ways a person can get esophagitis too, such as medications, chronic vomiting, infections, radiation, or a certain type of immune condition. Common symptoms of esophagitis include sore throat, heartburn, difficulty or painful swallowing, nausea or vomiting, and/or feeling like something is stuck in your throat.
Current treatments
The mainstay of treatment for erosive esophagitis has been a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for the past 30 years. These include medications like omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegrid), esomeprazole (Nexium), pantoprazole (Protonix), dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and rabeprazole (AcipHex).
Voquezna
Voquezna (vonoprazan) is a first-in-class medication from Phathom pharmaceuticals. This means it is new and unique from any drug already on the market. It is part of a new drug class called potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB). It was approved in November 2023 for use in healing and maintenance of healing in all grades of erosive esophagitis, the relief of heartburn associated with erosive GERD in adults, and the maintenance of healing of all grades of erosive GERD. In drug studies, the manufacturer found a rate of complete healing for erosive GERD to be 93% for voquezna, compared to 85% with lansoprazole after 8 weeks. It is also indicated for treatment of an infection called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) together with amoxicillin or amoxicillin and clarithromycin. Voquezna was found to have 85-90% rate of eradicating the H. pylori in drug studies depending on the exact treatment regimen.
Voquezna is to be used for 8 weeks to 6 months, depending on the reason you are taking it. The most common side effects reported by the manufacturer were gastritis, diarrhea, abdominal pain or distension, nausea, dyspepsia, headache, high blood pressure, and/or genital or urinary tract infections. The safety and effectiveness of Voquezna in children is unknown currently.
It is wonderful that we continue to find new classes of medications and conduct pharmaceutical research. New classes of medications are promising for the advancement of modern medicine in treating disease. Voquezna is now available for providers to prescribe if indicated and may be a good option for healing based on the drug study results.
Disclaimer: This blog is written for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen online.
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