P&G To Launch Low-Cost Helicobacter Regimen In USA

Procter & Gamble has been granted approval in the USA for a Helicobacter pylori eradication regimen which should offer acceptable rates of clearance at low cost. The new kit, called Helidac, combines P&G's Pepto-Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) chewable tablets with generic tetracycline and metronidazole supplied by Ivax' Zenith division. The eradication of H pylori has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of duodenal ulcer recurrence.

The product will come with patient instructions, reminders and 14 blister cards, each containing a daily dose of eight Pepto-Bismol tablets (262.4mg), four metronidazole tablets (250mg) and four tetracycline tablets (500mg). It is intended for concomitant use with an H2 antagonist.

November Launch? P&G hopes to launch the kit in mid-November. It is the third eradication regimen to be approved in the USA after Astra Merck's Prilosec (omeprazole) plus Abbott Laboratories' Biaxin (clarithromycin) and Glaxo Wellcome's Tritec (ranitidine bismuth citrate) plus Biaxin (Marketletter August 19). Helidac will essentially be competing directly with Biaxin.