Acute treatment of duodenal ulcer: experience with lansoprazole

Clinical experience with lansoprazole in the acute treatment of duodenal ulcer patients has been compared with treatment using placebo, H2-antagonists or omeprazole. Among the various lansoprazole dosage regimens that have been tested, 30 mg daily for 4 weeks appears to be the optimal regimen to relieve pain rapidly and to heal ulceration in up to 90-95% of patients. Lansoprazole tolerability in the short term appears excellent, most adverse effects are trivial and not dose related. Duodenal ulcer relapse after ulcer healing with lansoprazole appears to occur at a rate similar to that observed after treatment with omeprazole or histamine H2-antagonists.