Small molecule
PubChem CID 4594
Omeprazole
Prilosec
- Mechanism of action
- Proton pump (H+/K+ ATPase) inhibitor
- In plain language
- Blocks the acid pumps in the stomach lining, sharply cutting acid production to help heal and prevent reflux and ulcers.
- How it works
- Omeprazole is a substituted benzimidazole that irreversibly inhibits the H+/K+-ATPase (the gastric proton pump) on the secretory surface of the parietal cell. By binding covalently to the pump, it blocks the final common step of gastric acid secretion, suppressing both basal and stimulated acid output regardless of the triggering stimulus. Because the inhibition is irreversible, acid suppression persists until the parietal cell synthesizes new pump enzyme, giving a sustained drop in intragastric acidity that outlasts the drug's short plasma half-life. This durable reduction in acid allows healing of acid-damaged mucosa and relief of reflux- and ulcer-related symptoms.
- Therapeutic applications
- Indicated for short-term treatment of active duodenal ulcer and active benign gastric ulcer, treatment of erosive esophagitis due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and maintenance of healing of erosive esophagitis, treatment of symptomatic GERD, as part of multidrug regimens for Helicobacter pylori eradication to reduce the risk of duodenal ulcer recurrence, and for long-term management of pathological hypersecretory conditions such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, multiple endocrine adenomas, and systemic mastocytosis.
- Class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Gastrointestinal
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