A study compared the effect of ranitidine and antacid therapy on the healing of duodenal ulcer in 178 consecutive patients with endoscopically-confirmed duodenal ulcer.

The patients were randomly allocated to treatment with ranitidine 150 mg twice a day or aluminium magnesium antacid suspension 15 ml, 1 hr and 3 hr after the three meals and the last dose for the night (total of 105 ml antacid/day). Repeat endoscopy was done at the end of 6 weeks.

• A total of 80 patients in the ranitidine group and 67 in the antacid group completed the study.
• After 6 weeks treatment, complete ulcer healing was observed in 80% of the patients in the ranitidine group compared to 77.6% patients in the antacid group (p>0.05; Fig. 1 a and b)).
• No side effects associated with either of the drugs were reported in the study.

Ranitidine and the antacid were found to be equally effective in healing of duodenal ulcer after 6 weeks of therapy.

Fig. 1 a. Rate of ulcer healing in ranitidine group

1: Healed; 2: Not-healed

Fig. 1 b. Rate of ulcer healing in antacid group

1: Healed; 2: Not-healed

Source: Bakir T. Comparison of ranitidine and high-dose antacid in the healing of duodenal ulcer. Journal of Islamic Academy of Sciences 1989;2(3):177-178.