Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Proton Pump Inhibitor Lansoprazole in Infants with Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Objective

To assess the efficacy and safety of lansoprazole in treating infants with symptoms attributed to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that have persisted despite a ≥ 1-week course of nonpharmacologic management.

Study design

This multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group study randomized infants with persisting symptoms attributed to GERD to treatment with lansoprazole or placebo for 4 weeks. Symptoms were tracked through daily diaries and weekly visits. Efficacy was defined primarily by a ≥ 50% reduction in measures of feeding-related crying and secondarily by changes in other symptoms and global assessments. Safety was assessed based on the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) and clinical/laboratory data.

Results

Of the 216 infants screened, 162 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were randomized. Of those, 44/81 infants (54%) in each group were responders—identical for lansoprazole and placebo. No significant lansoprazole–placebo differences were detected in any secondary measures or analyses of efficacy. During double-blind treatment, 62% of lansoprazole-treated subjects experienced 1 or more treatment-emergent AEs, versus 46% of placebo recipients (P = .058). Serious AEs (SAEs), particularly lower respiratory tract infections, occurred in 12 infants, significantly more frequently in the lansoprazole group compared with the placebo group (10 vs 2; P = .032).

Conclusions

This study detected no difference in efficacy between lansoprazole and placebo for symptoms attributed to GERD in infants age 1 to 12 months. SAEs, particularly lower respiratory tract infections, occurred more frequently with lansoprazole than with placebo.

Abbreviations: AE, Adverse event, GA, Global assessment, GERD, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, H₂RA, Histamine-2 receptor antagonist, I-GERQ, Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire, I-GERQ-MH, Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire-Medical History, NPM, Nonpharmacologic management, PPI, Proton pump inhibitor, SAE, Serious adverse event