Rapid reduction of gastric acidity is the preferred approach in patients with penetrating or perforating peptic ulcers and in on-demand treatment of certain patients complaining of dyspepsia.

Arnestad and colleagues conducted a study to compare the effect of single doses of ranitidine effervescent with lansoprazole in healthy subjects.

Twelve healthy individuals with a median age of 23 years (range 21-25) were evaluated using 11-h intragastric continuous pH monitoring after ranitidine 150 or 300 mg effervescent tablets or lansoprazole 30 mg capsules.

• Both ranitidine doses led to a rapid and persistent rise in gastric pH in most of the subjects.
• A single dose of lansoprazole 30 mg had no effect on intragastric pH in five of the twelve subjects.
• The median time to reach pH 4 was 5 min with ranitidine 150 mg, 6.5 min with ranitidine 300 mg, while five participants in the lansoprazole group never attained pH 4. Seven subjects in this group attained pH 4 in a median time of 98 min.
• Median time with intragastric pH >4 was found to be 188 min with ranitidine 150 mg and 220 min with the 300 mg dose. This time was only 17 min with lansoprazole 30 mg.

Ranitidine was found to be superior to lansoprazole in terms of a rapid reduction of gastric acidity.

Source: Arnestad JS, Kleveland PM, Waldum HL. In single doses ranitidine effervescent is more effective than lansoprazole in decreasing gastric acidity. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1997;11:355-58.