Pantoprazole.

The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, and dosage and administration of pantoprazole are reviewed. Pantoprazole is a gastric hydrogen-potassium adenosine triphosphatase (H+/K(+)-ATPase) inhibitor. It shares the same core structure as other currently available proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). The FDA-labeled indication is the short-term treatment of erosive esophagitis. PPIs act by selectively inhibiting H+/K(+)-ATPase in the secretory canaliculus of the stimulated parietal cell. Understanding the pharmacodynamics of PPIs is more relevant than knowing their pharmacokinetics, since the duration of action depends on the rate of de novo proton-pump regeneration, not the duration of drug circulation in the body. Pantoprazole is well absorbed, undergoes little first-pass metabolism, and has an absolute bioavailability of approximately 77%. Pantoprazole has been evaluated in more than 100 clinical trials involving more than 11,000 patients. It is effective in treating erosive esophagitis and duodenal and gastric ulcers. It is also effective as adjunctive treatment with antimicrobials in patients infected with Helicobacter pylori. Pantoprazole has been shown to control acid production in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Pantoprazole is well tolerated. The most commonly reported adverse effects are headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The recommended oral dosage for erosive esophagitis is 40 mg once a day for up to eight weeks. The recommended i.v. dose is 40 mg given over 15 minutes once a day in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease who are unable to take oral medication. Pantoprazole appears to be as safe and effective as other PPIs in acid-related disorders.