Omeprazole in the treatment of duodenal ulcer

Omeprazole is the most effective antisecretory agent available today. Open and dose-comparative studies have documented that at dosages of 20 mg/day or more, the drug produces duodenal ulcer healing rates of 90-100% after 4 weeks. Controlled trials show that omeprazole, 20-40 mg/day, is superior to cimetidine and ranitidine in healing duodenal ulcer, with a median therapeutic gain of 21% at 2 weeks and 15% at 4 weeks. Ulcer symptom relief is also more pronounced and faster with omeprazole than with H2-receptor antagonists. No significant side-effects attributable to treatment with omeprazole have appeared in any of these studies or in the accumulated experience from several thousand patients treated with omeprazole. No tendency to an increase in recurrence rate after discontinuation of treatment with omeprazole has been shown. In summary, omeprazole constitutes a major advance in the short-term treatment of duodenal ulcer, giving fast and pronounced healing and symptom relief.