The clinical safety of long-term lansoprazole for the maintenance of healed erosive oesophagitis.

BACKGROUND: The clinical safety of long-term lansoprazole therapy for the maintenance of healed erosive oesophagitis has not been extensively studied in clinical trials. AIM: To assess the long-term clinical safety of dose-titrated lansoprazole as maintenance therapy for up to 82 months in subjects with healed erosive oesophagitis. METHODS: Clinical safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events (AEs), laboratory data including serum gastrin levels, and endoscopy. RESULTS: Mean duration (+/- s.d.) of lansoprazole treatment during the titrated open-label period was 56 +/- 24 months (range <1-82 months). Overall, 189 of 195 (97%) subjects experienced a total of 2825 treatment-emergent AEs. Most AEs occurred during the first year of treatment, were mild-to-moderate in severity and resolved while on treatment. Of 155 serious AEs (in 74 subjects), only two (colitis and rectal haemorrhage in one subject) were considered treatment-related. Sixty-nine of 195 subjects (35%) experienced 187 treatment-related AEs, with diarrhoea (10%), headache (8%) and abdominal pain (6%) being the most common. Gastrin levels > or = 400 pg/mL were seen in 9% of subjects; hypergastrinemia was not associated with gastro-intestinal AEs or nodules/polyps. CONCLUSIONS: Lansoprazole maintenance therapy for up to 6 years is safe and well tolerated in subjects with healed erosive oesophagitis.