Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor used in the treatment of dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD/GERD) and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. It is the S-enantiomer of omeprazole. By inhibiting the functioning of this enzyme, the drug prevents formation of gastric acid. Esomeprazole provides improved efficacy, in terms of stomach acid control, over racemic omeprazole. Many health professionals have expressed the view that this improvement in efficacy is due to the increased dose of (es)omeprazole. Esomeprazole tablets are formulated as a "multiple unit pellet system. The granules are manufactured in a fluid bed system with small sugar spheres as the starting material. The sugar spheres are sequentially spray-coated with a suspension containing esomeprazole, a protective layer to prevent degradation of the drug in manufacturing, an enteric coating and an outer layer to reduce granule aggregation. The granules are mixed with other inactive excipients and compressed into tablets. Finally, the tablets are film-coated to improve the stability and appearance of the preparation.