Comparison of Rabeprazole and Vonoprazan in the Prevention of Post-endoscopic Variceal Ligation Ulcer in Patients With Cirrhosis

Overview

The study aims to to evaluate Vonoprazan effectiveness in prevention of post endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) ulcer and its related bleed in comparison to Rabeprazole. All patients who are eligible for the study will be screened from outpatient department and endoscopy lab. Patients who are diagnosed to have oesophageal varices and requiring EVL will be enrolled after fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patient clinical and demographic data will be collected in proforma. Patients who are willing to participate in the study will be randomized into two arms in 1:1 ratio. One arm is Vonoprazan 20 mg once a day group and second arm will be rabeprazole 20 mg once a day. Duration of therapy will be 2 weeks. Patients will also be advised to take nonselective beta blockers (NSBB) as per standard of care. Patients will undergo upper GI endoscopy after 2 weeks to evaluate varices and ulcers, ulcer will be classified according to Jamwal \& Sarin classification system.

Detailed description

Bleeding from esophageal varices is a serious consequence of portal hypertension, and endoscopic variceal ligation (band ligation) is a mainstay of treatment. After the bands are applied, shallow mucosal ulcers predictably develop at the band sites and usually heal over roughly three weeks; occasionally, however, these healing ulcers bleed and contribute to illness and death. One proposed driver of delayed healing and bleeding is the exposure of these ulcers to stomach acid, which has led clinicians to use acid-lowering medicines-most often proton pump inhibitors-after the procedure, though the evidence that this helps remains inconsistent.

Vonoprazan belongs to a newer class of acid-suppressing agents (potassium-competitive acid blockers) that act on the gastric proton pump quickly, reversibly, and durably, overcoming several shortcomings of conventional proton pump inhibitors. Its value in lowering the burden of ulcers that form after band ligation has barely been examined.

This investigator-initiated trial will compare vonoprazan with rabeprazole, a standard proton pump inhibitor, in adults with cirrhosis and portal hypertension who are undergoing band ligation of esophageal varices. Three hundred eligible, consenting participants will be allocated in equal numbers to either vonoprazan 20 mg once daily or rabeprazole 20 mg once daily, each given for two weeks alongside standard beta-blocker therapy. The follow-up endoscopy at two weeks will be recorded, and the ulcers will be measured and graded by an endoscopist. The chief measure of interest is the size of the largest band-site ulcer (in millimetres) seen on the two-week surveillance endoscopy. Additional measures include the number of ulcers per patient, the grade of any bleeding ulcers, episodes of post-procedure bleeding through four weeks, swallowing-related symptoms such as pain and difficulty swallowing, and the occurrence of side effects including spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. The work will be carried out over eight months at a single tertiary-care gastroenterology unit in Lucknow, India.

Interventions

• Drug Vonoprazan
  Patients who are willing to participate in the study will be randomized into two arms in 1:1 ratio. One arm is Vonoprazan 20 mg once a day group and second arm will be rabeprazole 20 mg once a day. Duration of therapy will be 2 weeks. Patients will also be advised to take nonselective beta blockers (NSBB) as per standard of care. Patients will undergo upper GI endoscopy after 2 weeks to evaluate varices and ulcers, ulcer will be classified according to Jamwal \& Sarin classification system.
• Drug Rabeprazol
  Patients who are willing to participate in the study will be randomized into two arms in 1:1 ratio. One arm is Vonoprazan 20 mg once a day group and second arm will be rabeprazole 20 mg once a day. Duration of therapy will be 2 weeks. Patients will also be advised to take nonselective beta blockers (NSBB) as per standard of care. Patients will undergo upper GI endoscopy after 2 weeks to evaluate varices and ulcers, ulcer will be classified according to Jamwal \& Sarin classification system.

Primary outcome measures

• To compare the maximum post-EVL esophageal ulcer diameter (mm) at 2 weeks (Day 14), measured on surveillance upper GI endoscopy, between the Vonoprazan and Rabeprazole groups. [Time frame: Two weeks]
• To compare the number of post-EVL ulcers per participant at Day 14, and the severity of any bleeding ulcers (graded by the Jamwal & Sarin classification), between the Vonoprazan and Rabeprazole groups [Time frame: Two weeks]

Secondary outcome measures (1)

• To compare the incidence of adverse effects in Vonoprazan and Rabeprazole groups [Time frame: Two weeks]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years and above
• Diagnosis of portal hypertension and esophageal varix should be established by endoscopy.
• Who are willing to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Negative consent
• Diagnosed with HCC
• Already taking PPI/Vonoprazan for other indications
• Using anticoagulants and antiplatelets

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Quadruple blind

Primary purpose

Prevention

Study locations

India · 1 center

• King George Medical University — Lucknow

Publications

• Jamwal KD, Maiwall R, Sharma MK, Kumar G, Sarin SK. Case Control Study of Post-endoscopic Variceal Ligation Bleeding Ulcers in Severe Liver Disease: Outcomes and Management. J Clin Transl Hepatol. 2019 Mar 28;7(1):32-39. doi: 10.14218/JCTH.2018.00059. Epub 2019 Mar 10. PMID 30944817
• Lashen SA, Shamseya MM, Shamseya AM, Hablass FH. Efficacy of Vonoprazan vs. Pantoprazole or Non-acid Suppression in Prevention of Post-variceal Ligation Ulcer Bleeding in Portal Hypertension: A Multi-arm Randomized Controlled Trial. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2023 Nov-Dec;13(6):962-971. doi: 10.1016/j.jceh.2023.05.008. Epub 2023 May 19. PMID 37975046
• Oshima T, Miwa H. Potent Potassium-competitive Acid Blockers: A New Era for the Treatment of Acid-related Diseases. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2018 Jul 30;24(3):334-344. doi: 10.5056/jnm18029. PMID 29739175
• Lo EA, Wilby KJ, Ensom MH. Use of proton pump inhibitors in the management of gastroesophageal varices: a systematic review. Ann Pharmacother. 2015 Feb;49(2):207-19. doi: 10.1177/1060028014559244. PMID 25583938
• Garcia-Saenz-de-Sicilia M, Sanchez-Avila F, Chavez-Tapia NC, Lopez-Arce G, Garcia-Osogobio S, Ruiz-Cordero R, Tellez-Avila FI. PPIs are not associated with a lower incidence of portal-hypertension-related bleeding in cirrhosis. World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Dec 14;16(46):5869-73. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i46.5869. PMID 21155009
• Cho E, Jun CH, Cho SB, Park CH, Kim HS, Choi SK, Rew JS. Endoscopic variceal ligation-induced ulcer bleeding: What are the risk factors and treatment strategies? Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Jun;96(24):e7157. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000007157. PMID 28614248
• Hidaka H, Nakazawa T, Wang G, Kokubu S, Minamino T, Takada J, Tanaka Y, Okuwaki Y, Watanabe M, Tanabe S, Shibuya A, Koizumi W. Long-term administration of PPI reduces treatment failures after esophageal variceal band ligation: a randomized, controlled trial. J Gastroenterol. 2012 Feb;47(2):118-26. doi: 10.1007/s00535-011-0472-0. Epub 2011 Sep 28. PMID 21947706
• Polski JM, Brunt EM, Saeed ZA. Chronology of histological changes after band ligation of esophageal varices in humans. Endoscopy. 2001 May;33(5):443-7. doi: 10.1055/s-2001-14259. PMID 11396765

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07608536 · 2355/Ethics/2026

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗