K-CAB shows gastroprotective effect in myocardial infarction patients receiving DAPT

HK inno.N announced on Wednesday the results of a comparative safety analysis between its new gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) drug K-CAB (tegoprazan) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in treating cardiovascular patients.

Led by a research team at Yongin Severance Hospital (Professor Kim Yong-cheol of the Department of Cardiology as corresponding author and Professor Lee Oh-hyun of the Department of Cardiology as first author), this study was conducted on acute myocardial infarction patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

DAPT is a treatment that reduces ischemic events after PCI in patients with cardiovascular disease, but it is known to increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.

While PPI drugs are widely used to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding, concerns about drug interactions with antiplatelet agents have been consistently raised.

The research team focused on K-CAB, a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB), which possesses characteristics such as rapid onset of action, long duration of effect, and low drug interactions. They conducted this study to confirm its potential as a replacement for PPI products.

The team utilized nationwide big data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) to compare and analyze patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). They compared patients receiving DAPT alongside either a PPI (19,201 patients) or tegoprazan (2,075 patients).

After statistically adjusting for baseline characteristics between the two groups, the primary endpoints were set as major gastrointestinal bleeding within one year and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including myocardial infarction and stroke.

The results showed that the K-CAB group had a 28 percent lower risk of gastrointestinal bleeding within one year compared to the PPI group, and it did not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction or stroke.

“We confirmed that K-CAB can be an effective and safe gastroprotective agent compared to conventional PPIs in East Asian myocardial infarction patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT),” Professor Kim said.

Professor Lee commented, “As we enter a super-aged society, the number of cardiovascular disease patients is increasing, leading to rising mortality rates. Managing gastrointestinal bleeding during dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after PCI procedures is particularly important. These study results show that K-CAB can be a safe and effective alternative.”

The study results were presented as a poster at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC 2025) conference held last month in Madrid, Spain.

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HK inno.N’s new gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) drug K-CAB (Courtesy of HK inno.N)