Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca are working to educate the public about reflux esophagitis through a campaign entitled Do you experience heartburn or acid reflux? The awareness building effort seeks to ensure an accurate understanding of the symptoms of reflux esophagitis and how they affect the daily lives of patients. The campaign incorporates a variety of media, featuring TV commercials, an iPhone app and a website to encourage patients to seek the appropriate treatment and take control of their lives.

The iPhone app is entitled “Heartburn/Acid Reflux Notebook.” App features include a symptom checker, a medication checker, a photo meal diary, a graph of heartburn and acid reflux symptoms and heartburn and acid reflux advisory. The app is only available in Japanese.

Japan’s recent shift toward a western diet and lowered incidence of helicobacter pylori infection have resulted in increased levels of acid secretion, and reflux esophagitis sufferers are thought to be on the rise. Reflux esophagitis is a disease in which inflammation of the esophageal membrane occurs when stomach contents, including the highly acidic hydrochloric acid (gastric acid), are regurgitated. The main symptoms of the disease include heartburn and acid reflux (an acidic taste in the throat and mouth, accompanied by a feeling that the contents of the stomach are being regurgitated).