Table of Contents
- Trial overview
- Who was studied
- What was tested
- Trial phase and design
- Main endpoints
- What the results measure
Trial overview
The main trial in this data set is NCT05629143, called the Primary carE PPi dEprescRibing (PEPPER) trial.[1] It is a completed Phase 3 interventional study with 745 participants.[1]
The study looked at treatment strategies for people with heartburn, functional dyspepsia, and reflux.[1] The trial specifically studied how Sodium Alginate could be used in a plan to reduce or replace long-term PPI treatment.[1]
Who was studied
The trial focused on patients who were chronically using PPIs but did not have a clear reason to keep using them long term.[1] This means the study was not about all people with reflux symptoms, but about a specific group already taking acid-suppressing medicine for a long time.[1]
The conditions listed in the trial were heartburn, functional dyspepsia, and reflux.[1] These are common upper stomach and food-pipe symptoms that can affect daily comfort and treatment choices.[1]
What was tested
The study compared two newer deprescribing strategies with a more traditional step-down approach for PPIs.[1] One strategy was on-demand PPI use, which means using the medicine only when needed.[1]
The other strategy was replacing PPI therapy with an alginate formulation.[1] In the trial data, this replacement approach is the one linked to Sodium Alginate.[1]
The comparison group used a classical approach, meaning gradual lowering of the PPI dose through fixed intermittent intake.[1] The researchers wanted to see whether the newer strategies would work better than the standard step-down method.[1]
Trial phase and design
This was a Phase 3 study, which usually means the treatment strategy is being tested in a larger group to see how well it works in real patient care.[1] The study was also interventional, meaning the researchers assigned treatment strategies and then measured the results.[1]
The trial was designed to compare success across different deprescribing approaches for long-term PPI users.[1] The study hypothesis was that the new strategies, including the Sodium Alginate replacement approach, would perform better than the standard gradual reduction approach.[1]
The trial also planned to compare the two newer strategies against each other.[1] In the study description, the on-demand PPI strategy was expected not to be worse than the alginate replacement strategy.[1]
Main endpoints
The main outcome was the percentage of randomized patients who achieved a successful therapeutic outcome by the end of follow-up.[1] This means the researchers did not look at only one symptom, but at an overall result for each patient.[1]
Success was based on three patient-reported points: PPI use, treatment satisfaction, and willingness to continue treatment.[1] These points were summed to decide whether the treatment strategy worked well for the patient.[1]
What the results measure
The outcome measure is patient-centered, which means it focuses on how the patient feels about the treatment and whether the treatment fits daily life.[1] This is important in deprescribing studies because the goal is not only to reduce medicine use, but also to keep symptoms controlled and maintain acceptable treatment satisfaction.[1]
Because the study used a follow-up period, the results reflect what happened over time rather than only at one visit.[1] The completed trial adds useful information about whether a Sodium Alginate-based replacement strategy can help in long-term PPI reduction plans for people with upper stomach symptoms.[1]



