Adverse Events and Drug Interactions with PPIs

Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the mainstay of therapy for acid-related diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract. These agents are used worldwide with few reported adverse effects. However, some reports suggest that PPI therapy adversely affects therapy with other drug classes. To examine this issue, investigators searched the FDA database for reports of adverse events and drug interactions that were received after the U.S. launch of omeprazole, lansoprazole, and pantoprazole (1989, 1995, and 2000, respectively) through September 2001. Rabeprazole was excluded because only a few patients were exposed to the drug.

The database included reports of both serious and minor adverse events in the U.S. and of only serious events from outside …