Efficacy of two-week therapy with doxycycline-based quadruple regimen versus levofloxacin concomitant regimen for helicobacter pylori infection: a prospective single-center randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-resistance reduces the efficacy of conventional triple therapy for Helicobacter Pylori infections worldwide, which necessitates using various treatment protocols. We used two protocols, doxycycline-based quadruple regimen and concomitant levofloxacin regimen. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of doxycycline-based quadruple regimen for treating Helicobacter Pylori infections compared with levofloxacin concomitant regimen as empirical first-line therapy based on intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol analyses (PPA) in Syrian population. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: An open-label, randomised, parallel, superiority clinical trial. METHODS: We randomly assigned 78 naïve patients who tested positive for Helicobacter Pylori gastric infection, with a 1:1 ratio to (D-group) which received (bismuth subsalicylate 524 mg four times daily, doxycycline 100 mg, tinidazole 500 mg, and esomeprazole 20 mg, each twice per day for 2 weeks), or (L-group) which received (levofloxacin 500 mg daily, tinidazole 500 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, and esomeprazole 20 mg each twice per day for two weeks). We confirmed Helicobacter Pylori eradication by stool antigen test 8 weeks after completing the treatment. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were allocated in each group. In the D-group, 38 patients completed the follow-up, 30 patients were cured. While in the L-group, 39 completed the follow-up, 32patients were cured. According to ITT, the eradication rates were 76.92%, and 82.05%, for the D-group and L-group respectively. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was 1.371 [0.454–4.146]. According to PPA, the eradication rates were 78.9%, and 82.05% for the D-group and L-group respectively. The odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was 1.219 [0.394–3.774]. We didn’t report serious adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Levofloxacin concomitant therapy wasn’t superior to doxycycline based quadruple therapy. Further researches are required to identify the optimal first-line treatment for Helicobacter-Pylori Infection in the Syrian population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: We registered this study as a standard randomized clinical trial (Clinicaltrial.gov, identifier-NCT04348786, date:29-January-2020).