proton-pump inhibitor

Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of medications that cause a profound and prolonged reduction of stomach acid production. They do so by irreversibly inhibiting the stomach's H/K ATPase proton pump. The body eventually synthesizes new proton pumps to replace the irreversibly inhibited ones—a process driven by normal cellular turnover, which gradually restores acid production.

Proton-pump inhibitors have largely superseded the H2-receptor antagonists, a group of medications with similar effects but a different mode of action, and heavy use of antacids. Potassium-competitive acid blockers (PCABs) have entered the market since the 2010s.