Nexium Research Paper

BACKGROUND Nexium is manufactured by AstraZeneca and was first approved by the FDA in February of 2001 in the form of delayed-release capsules for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Esomeprazole is in a class of drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPI). These work by decreasing the amount of acid that the stomach produces.i Proton pump inhibitors are a very popular class of drugs that have accumulated billions of dollars in sales. Nexium was ranked the number one brand name prescription drug in 2010 in terms of expenditure.ii Omeprazole was approved in 1988 with the distinction of being the first PPI. Researchers at AstraZenica found that the S-isomer (esomeprazole) would be more effective than both the R and RS-isomers. Therefore, the chemists used metal-catalyzed asymmetric oxidation discovered by Sharpless.iii They were able to develop an optimal method to yield esomeprazole. In 2005, an injectable form (esomeprazole sodium) was released and in 2006 a delayed-release oral suspension was approved. Esomeprazole became approved for pediatric use (ages 1-11) in

This shows that esomeprazole is more effective in the body. The AUC decreases after consumption.iv The bioavailability of esomeprazole is 68% while the bioavailability of omeprazole is 20%. Therefore, esomeprazole is suggested to be more effective than omeprazole. Esomeprazole 20 mg and 40 mg was shown to have a better healing capability during the eighth week than omeprazole 20 mg in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Over a four week therapy, it was shown that esomeprazole has very little value over omeprazole. For those who had only mild cases of esophagitis, the difference between the two drugs was not as pronounced as those patients with more severe cases of esophagitis. In patients with a Helicobacter pylori infection, no significant difference in healing capability was found between esomeprazole 20 mg and omeprazole 20