Triletide in a cimetidine-controlled clinical evaluation in duodenal ulcer patients

A controlled study was carried out in 20 out-patients with endoscopically confirmed active duodenal ulcer to compare the effectiveness and tolerance of a new cytoprotective agent, triletide, with an established antisecretory agent, cimetidine. Patients were allocated at random to receive 8-weeks' treatment with either 1.5 g triletide per day or 1.2 g cimetidine per day. The results showed that all patients experienced improvement of the ulcer condition by the end of treatment, the vast majority being found endoscopically healed. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. At the same time, the intensity of heartburn and epigastric pain, as well as the mean antacid intake, decreased significantly with both drugs, almost to the same extent. A significant relief of symptoms was already apparent by the end of 2 weeks of treatment, except for heartburn in the cimetidine group which did not show improvement until the fourth week. There were no complaints of possible side-effects with either treatment and no evidence of any significant changes in blood pressure, heart rate or routine haematology and haematochemistry investigations.