A controlled comparison of continuous ranitidine and intermittent famotidine infusions on gastric pH

Continuous infusions of any given H2-blocking drug have uniformly been found to be superior to intermittent infusions of the same H2-blocking drug in sustaining elevations in gastric pH. Comparisons of intermittent and continuous infusions among different H2-blocking drugs have heretofore not been made. Owing to its greater potency and longer half-life, the authors were interested in determining whether intermittent infusions of famotidine might be as effective as continuous infusions of ranitidine in sustaining elevations of gastric pH. The effectiveness of a continuous intravenous infusion of ranitidine (6.25 mg/hr) was compared with the effectiveness of intermittent intravenous infusions of famotidine (20 mg every 12 hours) in sustaining gastric pH above 4.0 in 18 young, healthy adult male subjects using a randomized two-way cross-over design. Gastric pH was continuously monitored for 24 hours. The intermittent famotidine regimen was determined to be as effective as the continuous ranitidine regimen with respect to the following parameters: (1) the percentage of the 24-hour dosing period during which gastric pH exceeded 4.0; (2) the area under the pH > or = 4 versus time curve; and (3) median gastric pH.