ZEGERID OTC capsules offer more rapid acid reduction than Prevacid- 24HR delayed-release capsules

Greater and more rapid acid reduction achieved at full effect as measured on day 7

Merck Consumer Care today announced results of a head-to-head clinical study showing that ZEGERID OTC- offers greater and faster acid control than Prevacid- 24HR. While acid control is an industry standard measure for acid-reducing drugs, greater and faster acid control does not imply greater and faster heartburn symptom relief. The goal of the study was to evaluate the speed and amount of acid reduction when the medications were at full effect, as measured on day seven, which is halfway through the recommended course of treatment. Both products are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of heartburn medication that works by deactivating acid pumps in the stomach.

"Though there are a number of factors that cause heartburn, the level of acid in the stomach is a key contributor to the problem," explained Dr. Paul Starkey, Worldwide Head, Medical Affairs for Merck Consumer Care. "Controlling acid is an important step in managing frequent heartburn."

Participants in the controlled crossover study received, in a random fashion, once daily dosing of each one of the following for a treatment period of seven days: ZEGERID OTC (omeprazole 20 mg/sodium bicarbonate 1100 mg) capsules, Prevacid- 24HR (15mg lansoprazole) delayed-release capsules, as well as a no treatment control. The study tracked participants' gastric pH levels.

At full effect (as measured on day 7), subjects taking ZEGERID OTC capsules reached a clinically accepted gastric pH level that indicates acid control (pH greater than 3.5) twice as fast as those taking Prevacid- 24HR delayed-release capsules. The ZEGERID OTC patients also maintained this acid control level for a significantly greater portion of the day than those taking Prevacid- 24HR.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2009 for over-the-counter use, ZEGERID OTC (omeprazole 20 mg/sodium bicarbonate 1100 mg) capsules are being marketed over-the-counter by Merck Consumer Care, the consumer healthcare division of Merck & Co., Inc. Under an agreement with Santarus, a specialty biopharmaceutical company that developed and currently markets prescription ZEGERID-, Merck Consumer Care is responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of ZEGERID OTC products for frequent heartburn in the US and Canada.