Stopping PPI medication in IBD

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  STOpping PpI Therapy in inactive IBD Study (STOP-IT): A feasibility study

• IRAS ID

  1013002

• Contact name

  Gordon Moran

• Contact email

  gordon.moran@nottingham.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Nottingham

• Research summary

  To investigate the feasibility of Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) medication withdrawal in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); data we collect will provide valuable information we will utilise to progress into a future, multi-centre randomised controlled trial.
  Evidence suggests that patients with IBD, taking PPIs, respond less well to medication and attend hospital for treatment more than patients not taking PPIs. We think this may be due to the change in the bacteria in the gut of patients taking PPIs.
  In future work we plan to carry out a large trial where we investigate what happens in hospital (or surgery) in patients who stop PPIs when compared to others who continue PPIs to help find a final answer regarding the safety risk of PPIs in IBD. However, there remains a few unknowns, which need investigation before we embark on this. We do not know exactly how many patients with IBD take PPIs. We also do not know how many can stop taking the medication, how many would, and how many would manage to stay off the medication indefinitely. In some cases, it may be common that when PPIs are stopped; patients may suffer a short-term increase in acid reflux symptoms. We do not know how many patients will be willing to join our study.
  We would like to run this study in GP surgeries, which has never been done before in IBD.
  We will recruit 80 patients with IBD, aged 16yrs+, currently on PPIs (Taking a PPI regularly for >6 months). Half of these will be randomised to stop taking PPI. Participants will be followed up for 12 months. This study will tell us how many patients we should be able to recruit in every GP practice, what is the best way to stop/withdraw a PPI is and if stopping PPIs makes any difference to IBD.

• REC name

  West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  26/WM/0052

• Date of REC Opinion

  14 Apr 2026

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion