| abstract |
Pharmaceutical proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medications and methods are disclosed for preventing and/or treating gastrointestinal disorders characterized by abnormalities in gastric acid secretion at anytime of the day or night without the need for food effect or to be taken with food. The medications comprise a PPI and a cholinergic agonist for inducing rapid onset of PPI action, for increasing the duration of PPI efficacy and for optimizing clinical PPI effectiveness that may be administered at any time of the day or night without food or on an empty stomach, and possibly on an as-needed or on demand basis. In carrying out the methods, a PPI and cholinergic agonist may be administered together as a single unitary dose in the form of a liquid or solid, or administered together, but separately as either liquids or solids or a combination thereof. Preferably, an oral solid dosage form of the present invention allows for release of a proton pump inhibitor at a pH of about 5 or higher, e.g., pH about 5.5, 6, 6.5 or 7, followed by release of a cholinergic agonist within between about 10 minutes and about 60 minutes, preferably within about 15 minutes and about 30 minutes, after release of the proton pump inhibitor from the dosage form, so that it can be administered at any time of the day or night independent of food or food effect. It is believed that the methods and compositions of the present invention will increase the duration of PPI efficacy by between at least about 5 fold and about 10 fold or even about 20 fold, as compared to the duration of PPI efficacy derived from current PPI dosage forms administered alone and without food or a food effect. Kits comprising a PPI, a cholinergic agonist and optionally an antacid are disclosed, such as kits containing each drug in conventional and commercially available dry or liquid dosage forms for simultaneous or concomitant administration or in dry dosage forms to provide for the easy preparation of a liquid composition from the dry dosage forms. These new medications and methods will simplify the traditional continuous PPI regimen and improve patient compliance. |