Rabeprazole, Minocycline, Amoxicillin, and Bismuth as First-Line and Second-Line Regimens for Helicobacter pylori Eradication

Background Because of general unavailability of tetracycline, common adverse effects, and complicated administration, the clinical application of bismuth quadruple therapy often faces difficulties. Whether the combination of minocycline and amoxicillin can replace tetracycline and metronidazole for Helicobacter pylori eradication remains unclear. This study was to determine the efficacy, compliance, and safety of rabeprazole, minocycline, amoxicillin, and bismuth (RMAB) therapy as first-line and second-line regimens. Materials and Methods Between July 2013 and December 2015, a total of 160 patients in first-line and 70 patients in second-line therapies received rabeprazole 10 mg, minocycline 100 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, and bismuth potassium citrate 220 mg twice daily for 14 days. Eradication status was assessed 6–12 weeks after treatment. Results RMAB therapy achieved the eradication rates of 87.5% (95% confidence interval, 81.9–92.5%, intention-to-treat analysis), 90.9% (85.7–95.5%, modified intention-to-treat analysis), and 92.6% (88.5–96.6%, per-protocol analysis) in first-line therapy in a setting with high antibiotic resistance rates (amoxicillin 3.4%, clarithromycin 39.7%, metronidazole 60.3%, levofloxacin 36.2%, tetracycline 3.4%, and minocycline 6.9%). As for second-line therapy, the eradication rates were 82.9% (74.3–91.4%, intention-to-treat analysis), 86.6% (77.6–94.0%, modified intention-to-treat analysis), and 89.1% (81.3–95.3%, per-protocol analysis). Totally, 24.0% patients had adverse effects, 2.2% discontinued medications, and good compliance was achieved in 94.7%. Poor compliance and minocycline resistance were identified as the risk factors for treatment failure. Significant differences in efficacy existed among the groups of both sensitive (48/51 and 18/20), isolated amoxicillin resistance (1/1 and 0/0), isolated minocycline resistance (2/3 and 1/1), and dual resistance (0/1 and 0/1) in both first-line (p = .004) and second-line (p = .035) therapies. Conclusions The eradication efficacies of RMAB therapy as first-line and second-line regimens were satisfactory with good compliance and safety in a region with high antibiotic resistance.