OPEN Versus InTact Capsule Proton Pump Inhibitors for the Treatment of Marginal Ulcers

NCT ID: NCT05799105

Last Updated: 2025-11-10

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

122 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-03-14

Study Completion Date

2025-12-23

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this clinical trial is to identify the most effective way to take acid-blocking medications to treat stomach ulcers in patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* is taking an acid-blocking medication by opening the capsule and only taking the contents of the capsule (open-capsule) more or less effective than taking the capsule as a whole (intact-capsule) for treating ulcers in patients who have a history of gastric bypass surgery?
* does taking the open versus intact medication decrease the number of procedures and complications from untreated ulcers?

Participants with ulcers will be instructed to take acid-blocking medications (called proton-pump inhibitors) either by opening the capsule and taking only the contents or by taking the capsule whole. These medications are the gold standard for treatment of stomach ulcers. Participants will be asked to undergo an upper endoscopy (EGD) every 3 months to monitor the healing of the ulcers.

Researchers will compare how quickly the ulcers heal depending on which way the medications are taken (opened up or as a whole).

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Marginal ulcers (ulcers formed at the surgery site between the stomach and the intestines) are a common complication of bariatric surgery, ranging in frequency from 0.6-25% of patients. Furthermore, roughly 17% of patients with marginal ulcers require repeat procedures or surgery for severe complications such as bleeding, perforation, stricture, and fistulas.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which act by block acid secretion from the stomach, are the gold standard for treatment of ulcers. There is limited data showing that opening the PPI capsule and taking only the contents greatly improves healing of marginal ulcers after gastric bypass surgery. This is likely due to the much smaller stomach, faster passage through the stomach and decreased ability of the intact PPI medication to be broken down and absorbed.

This would be the first clinical trial to confirm whether this is true, which would support all patients who get ulcers after gastric bypass surgery to be treated with open-capsule PPI medications.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Marginal Ulcer

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

marginal ulcer bariatric surgery gastric bypass open capsule

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

prospective single-blinded randomized control trial
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Caregivers Investigators
Endoscopists diagnosing and surveying healing of marginal ulcers will be blinded to the subject's treatment arm. A single, unmasked provider will be responsible for randomizing and prescribing either open- or intact-capsule PPI after subjects are enrolled in the study. This unmasked provider will not take part in diagnosis, monitoring or assessment of ulcer healing, or in data analysis.

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Open-capsule

Subjects in this arm will be treated with omeprazole 40 milligrams twice daily (or alternative medication if not covered by the subject's insurance) taken as an open-capsule until confirmed ulcer healing.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Omeprazole 40 milligrams

Intervention Type DRUG

Subjects will be randomized to treatment with either open-capsule or intact-capsule omeprazole to assess effect on ulcer healing times. If interim analysis illustrates significantly improved healing in the open-capsule group, the control (intact-capsule) arm will be allowed to cross-over to open-capsule and be followed until confirmed ulcer healing.

Intact-capsule

Subjects in this arm will be treated with omeprazole 40 milligrams twice daily (or alternative medication if not covered by the subject's insurance) taken as an intact-capsule until confirmed ulcer healing or potential cross-over.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Omeprazole 40 milligrams

Intervention Type DRUG

Subjects will be randomized to treatment with either open-capsule or intact-capsule omeprazole to assess effect on ulcer healing times. If interim analysis illustrates significantly improved healing in the open-capsule group, the control (intact-capsule) arm will be allowed to cross-over to open-capsule and be followed until confirmed ulcer healing.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Omeprazole 40 milligrams

Subjects will be randomized to treatment with either open-capsule or intact-capsule omeprazole to assess effect on ulcer healing times. If interim analysis illustrates significantly improved healing in the open-capsule group, the control (intact-capsule) arm will be allowed to cross-over to open-capsule and be followed until confirmed ulcer healing.

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Prilosec Losec

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Subjects diagnosed with marginal ulceration post-gastric bypass on upper endoscopy

Exclusion Criteria

* Refusal to start PPI medication OR current open-capsule PPI use at the time of diagnosis of the marginal ulcer
Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Stephen Firkins

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Stephen Firkins

Co-Director of Bariatric Endoscopy

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Stephen Firkins, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The Cleveland Clinic

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Stephen Firkins, MD

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 216-444-8460

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Stephen Firkins, MD

Role: primary

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Pyke O, Yang J, Cohn T, Yin D, Docimo S, Talamini MA, Bates AT, Pryor A, Spaniolas K. Marginal ulcer continues to be a major source of morbidity over time following gastric bypass. Surg Endosc. 2019 Oct;33(10):3451-3456. doi: 10.1007/s00464-018-06618-5. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30543040 (View on PubMed)

Di Palma A, Liu B, Maeda A, Anvari M, Jackson T, Okrainec A. Marginal ulceration following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: risk factors for ulcer development, recurrence and need for revisional surgery. Surg Endosc. 2021 May;35(5):2347-2353. doi: 10.1007/s00464-020-07650-0. Epub 2020 May 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32424625 (View on PubMed)

Tansel A, Graham DY. New Insight Into an Effective Treatment of Marginal Ulceration After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Apr;15(4):501-503. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2016.12.025. Epub 2017 Jan 3. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28062217 (View on PubMed)

English WJ, DeMaria EJ, Hutter MM, Kothari SN, Mattar SG, Brethauer SA, Morton JM. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery 2018 estimate of metabolic and bariatric procedures performed in the United States. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2020 Apr;16(4):457-463. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2019.12.022. Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32029370 (View on PubMed)

Coblijn UK, Goucham AB, Lagarde SM, Kuiken SD, van Wagensveld BA. Development of ulcer disease after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, incidence, risk factors, and patient presentation: a systematic review. Obes Surg. 2014 Feb;24(2):299-309. doi: 10.1007/s11695-013-1118-5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24234733 (View on PubMed)

Ribeiro-Parenti L, Arapis K, Chosidow D, Marmuse JP. Comparison of marginal ulcer rates between antecolic and retrocolic laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Obes Surg. 2015 Feb;25(2):215-21. doi: 10.1007/s11695-014-1392-x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25085224 (View on PubMed)

Schulman AR, Chan WW, Devery A, Ryan MB, Thompson CC. Opened Proton Pump Inhibitor Capsules Reduce Time to Healing Compared With Intact Capsules for Marginal Ulceration Following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Apr;15(4):494-500.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2016.10.015. Epub 2016 Oct 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27773764 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

23-024

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id