Vonoprazan versus Lansoprazole for the Initial Treatment of Reflux Esophagitis: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis in Japan

OBJECTIVE: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a highly prevalent disorder that negatively affects patients' quality of life and reduces their work productivity. The medical expenses associated with the treatment of GERD are the highest among all digestive diseases. Current guidelines recommend the administration of a standard dose of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for eight weeks as an initial GERD treatment. However, there is growing concern regarding the safety of PPI treatment. Recently, a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB), vonoprazan (VPZ), was approved for the treatment of reflux esophagitis in Japan and may provide clinical benefits in GERD treatment. This study was conducted to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a P-CAB, VPZ vs. a PPI, lansoprazole (LPZ), for the acute medical treatment of reflux esophagitis. METHODS: A clinical decision analysis was performed using a Markov chain approach to compare VPZ to LPZ in the acute treatment of reflux esophagitis in Japan. RESULTS: The P-CAB strategy was superior to the PPI strategy in terms of cost-effectiveness (direct cost per patient to achieve clinical success) and the number of days for which medication was required. Sensitivity analyses revealed that this superiority was robust within the plausible range of probabilities. This remained true even when the healing rates in cases of mild esophagitis were applied. CONCLUSION: The P-CAB strategy was consistently superior to the conventional PPI strategy using the original LPZ in terms of cost-effectiveness and the number of days for which medication was required. Thus, VPZ appears to be the drug of choice for the acute medical treatment of reflux esophagitis.