PPI‐amoxicillin dual therapy four times daily is superior to guidelines recommended regimens in the Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy within Asia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews suggested that the eradication efficacy of PPI-amoxicillin dual therapy is similar to that of other commonly used regimens. However, it might be affected by the medication frequency. Basic and clinical studies have shown that dual therapy administered four-times daily has a reliable pathophysiological basis and could achieve satisfactory efficacy. Therefore, a systematic review of RCTs of dual therapy and other regimens was conducted to clarify whether dual therapy is superior to guidelines recommended regimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The RCTs comparing dual therapy with other regimens were subjected to meta-analysis to evaluate the eradication rate, adverse reactions, and compliance using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Dual therapy administered four-times daily had a higher eradication rate than other regimens (intention-to-treat analysis: 89.7% vs 84.6%, OR: 1.52, 95%CI 1.08-2.14, p = 0.02; per-protocol analysis: 92.6% vs 88.2%, OR: 1.54, 95%CI 1.01-2.34, p = 0.04). In first-line therapy, according to intention-to-treat analysis, the eradication rate of dual therapy was higher than other regimens (89.8% vs 84.2%, OR: 1.63, 95%CI 1.02-2.61, p = 0.04). In per-protocol analysis, dual therapy showed better efficacy than others (92.9% vs 88.3%, OR: 1.68, 95% CI 0.98-2.89, p = 0.06), but not significantly. In salvage treatment, no significant difference was detected. The safety of dual therapy was significantly better than other regimens (19.6% vs 36.7%, p < 0.01), but no difference was observed in compliance (p = 0.58). CONCLUSION: PPI-amoxicillin dual therapy administered four-times daily has better efficacy and safety in H. pylori eradication than current guidelines recommended regimens, especially in first-line therapy, and mainly in Asia.