Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, a New Delhi-based contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has launched an advanced anti-reflux antacid - Sodium Alginate + Potassium Bicarbonate chewable tablet, approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

This chewable tablet falls under the category of 'reflux suppressants,' which form a protective layer on top of stomach contents to prevent acid from escaping into the oesophagus, thereby alleviating pain and discomfort. Each tablet contains Sodium Alginate IP 500mg and Potassium Bicarbonate IP 100mg.

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a widespread condition where stomach acid leaks into the esophagus, causing symptoms like regurgitation, heartburn, and chest pain. 

It is designed to treat symptoms such as acid regurgitation, heartburn, and indigestion, which can occur after gastric surgery, due to hiatus hernia, during pregnancy, and in conjunction with reflux oesophagitis. It is also aimed to treat laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms like hoarseness, sore throats, and cough.

Studies indicate that physiological dysfunction at the gastro-esophageal junction, often seen as a partial hiatus hernia, exacerbates distal oesophageal acid exposure in obesity. The acid pocket, located distally to the gastro-esophageal junction,  and resistant to normal buffering, serves as an acid reservoir prone to reflux, particularly in the presence of a hernia.

Unlike traditional antacids or proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), alginate-based reflux suppressants, like Sodium Alginate + Potassium Bicarbonate, displace the acid pocket and create an alginate raft at the, forming a physical barrier against reflux. These 'reflux suppressants' shield against acid reflux into the oesophagus.