Potassium-competitive acid blockers, a new therapeutic class, and their role in acid-related diseases: a narrative review

Abstract

Introduction: A new therapeutic class, potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs), has emerged in Brazil to promote a superior antisecretory effect addressing the unmet needs related to acid-related disease management. Vonoprazan fumarate showed a good safety profile and was approved by the Brazilian regulatory agency – ANVISA. Aim: This narrative review was conducted to review the general concepts regarding P-CABs, focussing on vonoprazan fumarate. Material and methods: A literature search was conducted through April–May 2021 using official databases with a combination of MeSH controlled vocabulary and text words. The authors selected articles that described pivotal and novel insights about P-CABs and vonoprazan fumarate. Results: Vonoprazan is a drug of the P-CABs class newly approved for the management of acid-related diseases in Brazil. P-CABs achieve rapid, potent, and prolonged acid suppression (including night-time) and promise to address some unmet clinical needs in GERD. Furthermore, considering the difficulties encountered in attaining effective symptomatic control – particularly at night – using currently available PPIs, this new drug class is promising. Conclusions: This review brings important information about vonoprazan, a new therapeutic option in Brazil, which may be considered as a valuable tool for managing acid-related diseases.