Efficacy and safety of ebrotidine compared with ranitidine in patients with duodenal ulcer.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the efficacy and safety of ebrotidine and ranitidine administered once daily in equimolar doses of 800 and 300 mg, respectively.

PATIENTS

A total of 298 duodenal ulcer patients were studied.

DESIGN

A multicentre, parallel, randomized clinical trial.

METHODS

Of the 298 patients studied, 150 were randomly assigned to ebrotidine and 148 to ranitidine treatment. Digestive endoscopy was performed at enrolment and at weeks 4, 6 and 8 unless the ulcer had healed before. Endoscopic findings were the main parameter for the assessment of treatment efficacy. Plasma gastrin and pancreatic polypeptide concentrations were also measured before and after termination of the therapy.

RESULTS

Ebrotidine achieved a duodenal ulcer healing rate comparable to that of ranitidine, and no statistically significant difference was found between the two drugs. The drugs were equally effective in improving ulcerous dyspeptic symptoms and in relieving gastric pain. Both tobacco and ethanol consumption influenced ulcer healing adversely, but healing in smokers was more pronounced in patients treated with ebrotidine, possibly because of its cytoprotective activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Ebrotidine 800 mg is as effective and safe as ranitidine 300 mg in healing duodenal ulcer, but ebrotidine appears to be superior in promoting the healing of duodenal ulceration in smokers.