A comparison of roxatidine acetate and ranitidine in gastric ulcer healing

A randomised multicentre double-blind study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of roxatidine acetate 75 mg twice daily and ranitidine 150 mg twice daily in 295 patients with endoscopically confirmed gastric ulcers. Substantial reductions in ulcer diameters and healing rates of 85.6 and 88.2% for roxatidine acetate and ranitidine, respectively, were obtained after 8 weeks of treatment. There was no difference in healing rates between smokers and non-smokers in either group. The relief of day and night-time epigastric pain was comparable for both treatment groups, as was antacid tablet consumption, with the majority of patients pain-free at the end of the study. The incidence of side effects was low, with 3 patients treated with roxatidine acetate, compared with 4 ranitidine-treated patients, reporting adverse reactions. There were no clinically significant changes in laboratory values. The present study suggests that 8 weeks of treatment with roxatidine acetate 75 mg twice a day produces effective and safe acute management of gastric ulcers which is comparable to that seen with ranitidine.