Vonoprazan-Based Triple-Therapy Could Improve Efficacy of the Tailored Therapy of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Background & Aims: The prevalence of clarithromycin resistant bacteria is increasing, and the effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) triple therapy is gradually decreasing in Japan. Vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker, has been reported for its effectiveness in eradicating H. pylori. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tailored vonoprazan-based triple therapy in patients with H. pylori. This study is the first to compare the efficacy of vonoprazan-based tailored triple therapy to that of vonoprazan-based conventional therapy. Method: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the treatment efficacy in 920 patients. Of these, 541 received conventional and 379 received tailored therapy. Successful eradication was confirmed by a negative C-13-urea breath test 6-8 weeks following completion of H. pylori eradication therapy, and the data were evaluated using the Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. Results: The eradication rate of tailored therapy was 90% and 96.3% by intent-to-treat analysis and per protocol analysis, respectively, which was significantly higher than the 85% and 90.2% found for conventional therapy (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). Amoxicillin- or clarithromycin-resistant bacteria did not affect treatment outcomes. By univariate and multivariate analysis, both amoxicillin- and clarithromycin-resistant bacteria and conventional therapy were detected as risk factors for eradication failure (odds ratio = 6.267, 95% CI [1.056-119.924], p < 0.05, and odd ratio -3.113, 95% confidence interval [1.688-6.160], p < 0.001, by multivariate analysis). Conclusion: Vonoprazan-based triple therapy could be a more effective treatment for H. pylori infection than conventional therapy when combined with a therapy regimen tailored according to bacterial antibiotic susceptibility.