Famotidine: effective treatment of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

The ability of famotidine to control gastric acid hypersecretion in 32 patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome was compared to that of cimetidine or ranitidine. Equipotent doses of each drug were determined in nine patients and famotidine was nine times more potent than ranitidine and 32 times as potent as cimetidine. Famotidine had a 30% longer duration of action than either ranitidine or cimetidine. The 32 patients were treated with famotidine for a mean follow-up of 10.5 months. No hematologic, biochemical, or clinical toxicity occurred. Famotidine appears to be the histamine H2-receptor antagonist of choice in the treatment of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.