New three-drug combo effectively eradicates H pylori infection in adults

The three-drug combination of omeprazole, amoxicillin, and rifabutin in one capsule, RHB-105, effectively eradicates Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. The novel formulation was found to still be effective and well-tolerated in an environment of clinically significant antibiotic resistance. Findings from a double-blind randomized trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

H. pylori infection is the main cause of gastrointestinal diseases, such as peptic ulcer, gastritis, and gastric cancer. Current guidelines recommend eradication of the infection, but it is difficult to treat because success with previously effective therapies has declined, related largely to the worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance. Both the World Health Organization and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have designated clarithromycin-resistant H pylori as a focus for new drug development, and the FDA included it as a pathogen with "the potential to pose a serious threat to public health."