Objective: To evaluate the pharmacological compliance of patients treated with lansoprazole orally disintegrating tablets (LODT) in Primary Care (PC) and their acceptability of this formulation.
Research design and methods: A multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study involving 433 PC physicians that included 433 patients aged at least 18 years, either diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or taking LODT to prevent NSAID-induced gastric ulcers. Compliance with LODT treatment was assessed with the Haynes-Sackett self-reported test. Acceptability was based on global patient assessment, rating the drug's organoleptic characteristics and properties recorded with a self-administered 15-item ad hoc questionnaire with 2 and 5-point Likert-type scales.
Results: 423 patients (mean age 50.6 years, SD = 13.4) were evaluable for the main endpoint. Of these, 57.16% were men and 53.5% were treated with 30 mg doses of LODT for an average of 37.8 days (SD = 35.5). Compliance was achieved by 92.4% of the patients, mean percentage of compliance was 93.3. Demographical and clinical variables had no effect on compliance. Treatment with LODT was assessed as 'acceptable' or 'highly acceptable' by 91.7% of the sample. One adverse reaction, not serious, was reported by one patient (0.2%).
Conclusions: In this observational study, compliance with lansoprazole orally disintegrating tablets was very high. Patients reported that this formulation improved their compliance. LODT was clearly preferred to previous medication and the drug was well tolerated.