Background: The combination of omeprazole, sodium bicarbonate and alginic acid protects omeprazole from acid degradation and enhances the speed of action of the proton pump inhibitors.
Aim: To assess acid suppression capacity and speed of action of an oral powder combination (omeprazole 20 mg, sodium bicarbonate 1680 mg and alginic acid 250.08 mg) in healthy subjects, using gastric 24 h pHmetry.
Subjects and methods: Gastric 24 h pHmetry was performed in 13 healthy subjects on days 0 and 6. During the first pHmetry, 7 subjects received the combination 2 h before the end of the procedure. The second study was performed after the subjects had been administered the medication for the six previous days. The measurements were: a) time with pH < 4, b) time to reach maximum pH value, and c) pH peak after first drug administration.
Results: The percentage of time with pH < 4 was 72.02 +/- 20.18 in the first study and 34.05 +/- 20.50 in the second (p < 0.01). Maximum pH obtained after first drug administration was 6.98 +/- 1.66 and the time to reach the pH peak was 18.34 +/- 9.84 minutes.
Conclusion: This oral powder combination induces significant, fast and intensive gastric acid suppression. Unlike delayed-release proton pump inhibitors, this product provides a faster but equally sustained control of gastric acidity.