Sequential therapy achieves a higher eradication rate than standard triple therapy in Taiwan

Background and Aims:  Most clinical trials concerning sequential therapy have been conducted in Italy. The efficacy of sequential therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication in Asia remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of sequential therapy with standard triple therapy in Taiwan. Methods:  From January 2005 to December 2009, 233 H. pylori-infected patients receiving either a 10-day sequential therapy (40 mg pantoprazole and 1 g amoxicillin, twice daily, for the initial 5 days, followed by 40 mg pantoprazole, 500 mg clarithromycin, and 500 mg metronidazole, twice daily, for the subsequent 5 days, n = 118) or a 7-day standard triple therapy (40 mg pantoprazole, 500 mg clarithromycin, and 1 g amoxicillin twice daily for 7 days, n = 115) were included in the retrospective study. All the patients underwent a follow-up endoscopy with a rapid urease test and histological examination or a urea breath test at 8 weeks after the end of anti-H. pylori therapy to assess H. pylori status. Result:  Intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated a significantly higher eradication rate for the sequential group than for the triple group (93% vs 80%, respectively, P = 0.003). Per-protocol analysis also showed similar results (93% vs 80%, P = 0.005). Both groups had similar frequencies of adverse events (29% vs 22%) and drug compliance (98% vs 97%). Conclusion:  Sequential therapy achieves a higher eradication rate than standard triple therapy in Taiwan. The novel treatment can be used as a first-line therapy for H. pylori infection for Taiwanese.