One‐week clarithromycin triple therapy regimens for eradication of Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

Background: One‐week triple therapies have been endorsed as the treatment regimens of choice for eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection. Those that include clarithromycin appear to be the most effective. Aim: To review reports of triple therapies that include clarithromycin. Methods: Reports were identified from the literature to May 1998. The variation between study designs prevents a formal meta‐analysis. A measure of the relative efficacies of regimens has, however, been gained by comparison and by pooling of intention‐to‐treat eradication rates. Results: One hundred and ninety‐two studies were identified which included 264 treatment arms of a 1‐week triple therapy composed of clarithromycin with amoxycillin or a nitroimidazole (metronidazole or tinidazole), and either ranitidine bismuth citrate or a proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole, lansoprazole or pantoprazole). From reports of these studies, an intention‐to‐treat H. pylori eradication rate could be determined from 210 treatment arms of 151 studies. Conclusions: There is little to choose between the efficacies of 1‐week clarithromycin‐based triple therapy eradication regimens. However, those comprising clarithromycin, a nitroimidazole and either ranitidine bismuth citrate or a high dose of omeprazole are, in general, the most effective. Against antibiotic‐resistant strains of H. pylori, regimens including ranitidine bismuth citrate may be more effective than those including a proton pump inhibitor.