HEALDSBURG, Calif. — May 5, 2026 — Leads & Copy — ISOThrive Inc. announced positive Phase 2 results for MHS-1031 in treating NERD patients with incomplete response to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), showing statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in heartburn incidence, severity, and regurgitation.
The company’s Chief Medical Officer is presenting these results at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026 this week.
NERD represents about 70% of the GERD population, estimated at 45 million adults in the United States. It remains one of the most challenging segments to treat.
Despite advances in acid suppression therapies, including PPIs and newer agents such as potassium-competitive acid blockers (PCABs), many patients continue to experience persistent symptoms.
ISOThrive CEO Jack Oswald said the data highlight the opportunity for a differentiated mechanism that goes beyond acid suppression.
Oswald added that MHS-1031 has the potential to complement or expand beyond existing treatment paradigms by addressing underlying drivers of symptoms in PPI-refractory patients.
MHS-1031 is a patented oligosaccharide designed to modulate the esophageal microbiome to reduce inflammatory signaling. It represents a shift from acid suppression toward restoring microbiome stasis.
Current therapies, including PPIs and PCABs, are associated with incomplete symptom control in a significant portion of patients, particularly in NERD, where pathophysiology is more complex and less responsive to acid suppression alone.
ISOThrive Chief Medical Officer Peter Swann, MD, said the results are particularly compelling because they demonstrate improvement not just in symptom frequency, but in severity and regurgitation, areas where current therapies often fall short.
The Phase 2 study is being conducted under an IND with the FDA and includes leading investigators from Vanderbilt University, University of Virginia, and Eastern Virginia Medical School.
ISOThrive believes MHS-1031 may represent a novel, differentiated approach to treat this large population with unmet need.
ISOThrive Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies targeting the gut microbiome to address significant unmet needs in gastrointestinal disease.
PPIs mentioned include: Prilosec (omeprazole), Nexium (esomeprazole), Prevacid (Lansoprazole), Protonix (pantoprazole), AcipHex (rabeprazole), Dexilant (dexlansoprazole), Zegerid OTC (omeprazole + sodium bicarbonate)
PCABs mentioned include: Voquezna/TAKECAB (vonoprazan), K-CAB (tegoprazan)
Source: ISOThrive Inc.
