A Randomized Trial Comparing Rectal Indomethacin Alone Versus a Combination of Rectal Indomethacin and Oral Tacrolimus for Post-ERCP Pancreatitis Prophylaxis

Background: In the US alone, almost 700,000 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies (ERCPs) are performed each year, and the utilization of ERCP over the last 10 years has increased due to the established therapeutic benefit of the procedure. The most common complication of ERCP is the development of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). Depending on whether the ERCP is performed in average or high-risk patients, the incidence of PEP ranges from 3-15%. The average Medicare reimbursement for PEP is approximately $6,000 and the estimated annual cost burden of PEP is in excess of $200 million. A…