Rifabutin-Based Triple Therapy Or Bismuth-Based Quadruple Regimen As Rescue Therapies For Helicobacter pylori Infection

Background/Aims: H. pylori treatment remains a challenge for clinicians, and a definite quote of patients require two or more treatments. We evaluated the efficacy of rifabutin-based therapy and Pylera® regimen as rescue therapies. Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2019, dyspeptic patients with at least one therapeutic failure observed in clinical practice received either a 12-day rifabutin-based triple therapy (esomeprazole 40 mg and amoxicillin 1 g, both twice daily, and rifabutin 150 mg once daily) or 10-day quadruple therapy with Pylera® (three in one capsule containing 140 mg bismuth subcitrate potassium, 125 mg metronidazole and 125 mg tetracycline). The eradication rates according to previous number of eradication failure therapies were calculated. The role antibiotic resistance pattern in H. pylori isolates was also investigated. Results: Data of 423 patients were available. A total of 270 patients were treated with rifabutin-based therapy, and the overall eradication rate was 61.9%. Pylera® therapy was administered to 153 patients and the cure rate was 88.3%. According to the number of previous therapeutic failures, the eradication rate for the rifabutin-based therapy was 68.3% as second-line and further decreased to 63.1% in fourth-line therapy. Following Pylera® regimen, the cure rate was 94.8% in second-line, and remained 89.6% in fourth-line therapy. Efficacy of rifabutin- based and Pylera® therapies significantly decreased when clarithromycin and levofloxacin resistance, respectively, were present. Conclusions: Our data documented a decreasing trend for rifabutin-based therapy efficacy according to previous therapy failures, whilst this did not occur for Pylera®.