The risk of pulmonary adverse drug reactions of rebamipide and other drugs for acid‐related diseases: An analysis of the national pharmacovigilance database in South Korea

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this case/non‐case study was to detect rebamipide‐related pulmonary adverse events (AE) compared with other drugs for acid‐related disorders based on population‐level data. METHODS: From 2009 to 2018, AE reports on drugs for acid‐related disorders, which are anatomical therapeutic chemical code A02B drugs, in the Korea Adverse Events Reporting System (KAERS) database were examined. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) was calculated, and the odds of reporting pulmonary AE for rebamipide and all other A02B drugs were compared. Furthermore, a stratified analysis according to patients’ age and sex was conducted. RESULTS: Altogether 13 (0.05%) and 157 (0.11%) cases of pulmonary AE were reported for rebamipide and all other A02B drugs, respectively. The risk of reporting pulmonary AE was significantly lower for rebamipide than for all other A02B drugs (ROR 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28–0.87). The number of reports of pulmonary AE for rebamipide was significantly higher among patients aged ≥65 years than those aged <65 years (ROR 19.36, 95% CI 2.50–149.97). CONCLUSIONS: Rebamipide was less often reported for pulmonary AE. However, healthcare professionals need to be aware of the risk of pulmonary AE in elderly patients.