Omeprazole (20 mg o.m.) versus ranitidine (150 mg b.d.) in duodenal ulcer healing and pain relief

Abstract

The object of this double-blind, multicentre study was to compare duodenal ulcer healing rates after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment with either 20 mg omeprazole o.m. or 150 mg ranitidine b.d. One hundred and eighty-one patients were randomized: 91 received omeprazole and 90 received ranitidine. In a per analysis at 2 weeks, 63% of the patients were healed on omeprazole and 65% of the patients were healed on ranitidine (N.S.); at 4 weeks 91% were healed in the omeprazole group and 96% were healed in the ranitidine group. There were no differences in ulcer symptom relief between the two groups. There were no significant changes in laboratory values in either of the groups. Adverse events were few and mainly mild and transient. We conclude that both omeprazole (20 mg o.m.) and ranitidine (150 mg b.d.) result in rapid, ulcer healing rates.