Cimetidine treatment for the prevention of recurrence of duodenal ulcer: an international collaborative study.

Comparison of cimetidine and placebo in the prevention of recurrence of ulceration was carried out in the study of 696 patients with recently healed duodenal ulcers. Treatment with cimetidine 400 mg at bedtime or twice daily for up to 12 months very significantly reduced recurrence of symptomatic ulceration. Asymtomatic ulceration occurred in treated and untreated patients but was found significantly less often in cimetidine-treated patients. There were no serious untoward effects of cimetidine treatment. Only 3 patients (0.8%) were withdrawn for possible drug-related reasons. Evidence from other studies suggests that the natural history of duodenal ulcer remains unaltered when cimetidine treatment is stopped after one year. Investigations have been planned to study the efficacy and safety of longer periods of treatment.