Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 1:11:23333928241241220.
doi: 10.1177/23333928241241220. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Proton Pump Inhibitors in Germany: Status Quo of a Growing Market

Kate Plehhova  1 , Monika Häring  2 , Joshua Wray  1 , Cathal Coyle  1 , Karel Kostev  3
Affiliations

Proton Pump Inhibitors in Germany: Status Quo of a Growing Market

Kate Plehhova et al. Health Serv Res Manag Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Introduction: The volume of prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) remains high, although the literature increasingly points to excessive prescribing in relation to guideline recommendations. No very recent data is available on the specific situation in Germany, particularly on the proportion of PPI consumption from over-the-counter (OTC) sales and self-selection, following PPI down-scheduling. The aim of this study was to determine the actual amount of prescribed and OTC PPIs in Germany.

Methods: For this retrospective study, several IQVIA databases were used, representing all prescriptions billed to statutory and private health insurers in Germany, as well as OTC sales. Analyses were performed for the period November 2020 to October 2021 or partially November 2018 to October 2021 and were descriptive in nature. Mainly, data were collected from IQVIATM PharmaScope National® as well as IQVIA TM DPM® databases.

Results: A total of 2.87 billion PPI tablets were shown to have been sold between November 2020 and October 2021, with most drugs prescribed in the largest packages and strengths. In addition, the OTC PPI market increased by an average of 14% per year over a 3-year period.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest the substantial size of the PPI market in Germany is based on prescriptions, a consistent increase in OTC PPI purchases and a recent increase in prescriptions.

Keywords: PPI; Proton pump inhibitors; over-the-counter; prescription.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: KP, MH, JW, CC, and LJ are employees of Reckitt Benckiser. KK is the employee of IQVIA.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Calculations made to determine defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants/day.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Demographic makeup of PPI patients. Abbreviation: PPI, proton pump inhibitor.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Breakdown by PPI active ingredients by channel: prescriptions against OTC. Abbreviations: PPI, proton pump inhibitor; OTC, over-the-counter.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Package size breakdown for the 2 dominant PPIs: pantoprazole and omeprazole. Abbreviation: PPI, proton pump inhibitor.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Concentration curve of PPI prescribers in Germany. Abbreviation: PPI, proton pump inhibitor.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Growth of the OTC PPI market in Germany during the period November 2018 to October 2021. Abbreviations: PPI, proton pump inhibitor; OTC, over-the-counter.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Heidelbaugh JJ, Kim AH, Chang R, Walker PC. Overutilization of proton-pump inhibitors: what the clinician needs to know. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2012;5(4):219–232. doi: 10.1177/1756283x12437358. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Targownik LE, Fisher DA, Saini SD. AGA clinical practice on de-prescribing proton pump inhibitors: expert review. Gastroeneterology. 2022;162:1334–1342. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.12.247. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aubert CE, Blum MR, Gastens V, et al. Prescribing, deprescribing and potential adverse effects of proton pump inhibitors in older patients with multimorbidity: an observational study. CMAJ Open. 2023;11(1):E170–E178. doi: 10.9778%2Fcmajo.20210240. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Savarino V, Marabotto E, Zentilin P, et al. The appropriate use of proton-pump inhibitors. Minerva Med. 2018;109(5):386–399. doi: 10.23736/S0026-4806.18.05705-1. Epub 2018 May 31. PMID: 29856192. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Madisch A, Koop H, Miehlke S, et al. S2k-Leitlinie Gastroösophageale Refluxkrankheit und eosinophile Ösophagitis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gastroenterologie, Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten (DGVS): s.l. : DGVS, 2023. [cited 17 July 2023]. LL-Reflux_Leitlinie_final_13.03.23.pdf (dgvs.de).

LinkOut - more resources