OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between work productivity and response to treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 1,908 patients with symptoms of GERD in the USA, UK, Germany and France. Patients diagnosed with GERD who were receiving PPIs were classified as complete responders (no symptoms), well-controlled (used a PPI compliantly, experienced an improvement in or decrease in frequency of symptoms, and suffered key GERD symptoms on £1 of the past seven days), incomplete responders (the same definition as well-controlled but with symptoms on ³2 of the past seven days), or non-responders (no improvement or symptoms worsened). Information obtained included GERD-related absence from work and reduced productivity while at work because of GERD during the past seven days. RESULTS: The analysis included 237 employed patients on PPI treatment. The mean number of hours absent from work because of GERD was 0.1 for complete responders (n=57), 0.1 for well-controlled (n=32), 0.5 for incomplete responders (n=128), and 1.3 for non-responders (n=20). The mean percentage reduced productivity while at work was 4.3% for complete responders, 7.8% for well-controlled, 14.9% for incomplete responders, and 17.6% for non-responders. When pooling results for complete responders and well-controlled vs. incomplete responders and non-responders, mean differences between these two groups were 0.5 hours absence (0.1 vs. 0.6, p<0.05) and a 9.7% reduction in work productivity (5.6% vs. 15.3%, p<0.0001). The 9.7% difference in reduced productivity while at work corresponds to an equivalent of 3.9 work hours lost (% reduced productivity x hours worked) per patient, based on a 40-hour working week. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in GERD-related work productivity depending on response to medical treatment, which suggests that strategies for improving management of GERD may be warranted.