GSK has commissioned research to better understand how pharmacists help their patients to treat frequent heartburn, with the aim of helping them to provide further support with the UK’s number one heartburn product for 24-hour protection, Nexium Control.
The research revealed that only eight per cent of pharmacy teams would recommend PPIs (such as Nexium Control) as the first course of treatment for frequent heartburn.
Pharmacists instead prefer to recommend antacids or alginates, which were both the most popular answers.While these faster-acting and more reactive treatments can help occasional heartburn sufferers, PPIs offer a longer-lasting and protective treatment for those experiencing frequent heartburn.Pharmacy teams are also over-estimating how often heartburn needs to occur before it is classed as ‘frequent’.
Two-thirds (66 per cent) describe frequent as either a daily occurrence or 4-6 times a week when, in literature, heartburn occurrence more than once in a week is considered ‘frequent’.
This disparity may explain why pharmacy teams are offering shorter-acting solutions, such as antacids or alginates first line, rather than long-lasting treatments like PPIs, that treat the cause as well as providing symptomatic relief.
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