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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Acid reflux, you can take Voquezna for eight weeks to heal them and for up to six months to maintain the esophageal lining after healing. Voquezna is also FDA-approved to treat heartburn without erosions for up to four weeks, based on data from clinical trials. However, some providers say the drug can be taken long-term if necessary. “The FDA can only give guidance on what data shows, but Voquezna has been used in Japan for 10 years and is more popular there than PPIs are,” Larry E. Clark, Jr., MD, a gastroenterologist who also experiences GERD, told Verywell. Clark, who takes Voquezna to manage his symptoms, was also an investigator in the vonoprazan clinical trials. Phathom Pharmaceuticals is doing more extensive research to test the safety and efficacy of long-term Voquezna use. “The FDA requested we do an extension to six months to look at long-term safety. There were no signals of concern there,” said Gilligan. “GERD is a chronic disease, and when you stop taking the medication, the symptoms return." Why Voquezna Is Different From Other Acid Reflux Medications Your stomach needs an enzyme called H+/K+ ATPase (or hydrogen/potassium ATPase) to make gastric acid. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as Prevacid (lansoprazole), Prilosec (omeprazole), and Nexium (esomeprazole), block this enzyme from converting hydrogen to hydrochloric acid. Voquezna is different; it’s a potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB) that binds to the potassium channel of the H+/K+ ATPase enzyme and inactivates it. Whether you take a PPI or a PCAB for GERD, the result is the same: Your stomach will make less acid. PPIs have been a mainstay of GERD treatment for 30 years, and they’re effective for many patients. But to work well, PPIs have to be taken 30 minutes before eating or drinking. It can also take several days to notice the full effect of these treatments. Clark added that some patients experience a “significant rebound effect” when they stop taking a PPI. Clinical trials showed that Voquezna relieved symptoms faster than PPIs and provided a full 24 hours of relief. It can also be taken any time of day,
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