That could bolster the company, which is fighting to preserve patent protection for its best seller, the heartburn drug Prilosec.

This is also the case with Nexium, a heartburn drug that replaced Prilosec.

Q: Are there more powerful heartburn drugs available with a prescription?

Medications that block acid production, like heartburn drugs.

Researchers in Korea analyzed the results of 31 studies on heartburn drugs published between 1985 and 2009.

Five popular heartburn drugs work in essentially the same way, but only one of them, Prilosec, is sold without a prescription.

The generics companies also contend that the safety of Prilosec when taken with other over-the-counter heartburn drugs has not been established.

He said Americans without drug coverage, many of them elderly, spend $900 million of their own money each year for heartburn drugs.

Treatments may include heartburn drugs, pain medication, or even surgery in severe cases.

There are a variety of heartburn drugs available over the counter to relieve symptoms.