Recurrence of duodenal ulceration in patients on maintenance ranitidine

Fifty-seven patients with recently healed duodenal ulcers were entered into a 1-year trial of maintenance therapy with ranitidine ( Zantac ; Glaxo) 150 mg at night to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug. Twenty-two of the patients were withdrawn because they violated the trial protocol. No serious side-effects were noted, but only 19 of the 35 patients who met the requirements of the study were free of endoscopic evidence of ulcer recurrence at the end of the trial period. The relapse rate of 46% in the present study was of the same order as those found in two previous South African studies of maintenance therapy with cimetidine given in a dose of 400 mg at night. These findings leave the question whether routine maintenance therapy is warranted in our patients unanswered.