TREATMENT OF GASTRIC-ULCER WITH LANSOPRAZOLE OR RANITIDINE - A MULTICENTER CLINICAL-TRIAL

We studied the effectiveness of lansoprazole and ranitidine in promoti ng gastric ulcer healing in a multicentre double-blind trial, by compa ring the proportion of healed ulcers after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. One hundred and fifty-eight patients were randomly given either ranit idine (150 mg each morning and at bedtime) or lansoprazole (30 mg each morning and placebo at bedtime). One hundred and twenty-eight patient s completed the trial (62 taking lansoprazole, 66 taking ranitidine). Fifty-one (80%) of those treated with lansoprazole and forty-two (62%) of those treated with ranitidine had healed ulcers at 4 weeks (P < 0. 05). Sixty-one (98%) patients who received lansoprazole and 57 (86%) w ho received ranitidine had healed ulcers at 8 weeks (P < 0.05). The ob served differences were not significant in the intention-to-treat anal ysis. No serious adverse event was reported with lansoprazole.