Effectiveness of proton pump inhibitors: beyond cost.

As a drug class, proton pump inhibitors are excellent pharmacologic agents for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. All 5 of the agents discussed here are exceptionally effective, so much so that cost has often superseded other outcome measures as a primary reason for the choice of agent. This article reviews other important outcome measures including control of intragastric pH, healing, symptom relief, improvement in quality of life, sleep, and increase in work productivity in an effort to "move beyond cost" in decision-making related to patient care.