Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Efficacy of Sustained-Release Formula of Mosapride-Plus-Esomeprazole Combination Therapy to Esomeprazole Monotherapy in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

We aimed to evaluate whether adding a sustained-release (SR) formula of mosapride to proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) would be more effective in controlling symptoms than PPI alone in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Sixty patients with heartburn and/or regurgitation were randomly assigned to two groups: mosapride SR 15 mg combined with esomeprazole 20 mg once daily (ME group) and esomeprazole 20 mg once daily alone (E group). The primary endpoint was the complete-resolution rate of GERD symptoms after eight-week medication, and the secondary endpoints were the complete-resolution rate of GERD symptoms after four-week medication, symptom-improvement rates ≥ 50% after four- and eight-week medication, and change in reflux-disease-questionnaire (RDQ) and GERD-health-related quality-of-life (GERD-HRQL) scores from baseline at four- and eight-week medication. No significant differences in complete-symptom-resolution rates at eight weeks and four weeks or in the changes in RDQ and GERD-HRQL scores from baseline at four- and eight-week medication were observed between the ME and E groups. The symptom-improvement rate of ≥50% after four and eight weeks was comparable between both groups. Adding mosapride SR to esomeprazole in patients with GERD provides no additional benefits in controlling GERD symptoms.