Gastric Ulcer: A Double-Blind Comparison of 100 Mg Pirenzepine plus Antacid Versus 800 Mg Cimetidine plus Antacid

Abstract

Gonvers J-J, Realini S, Bretholz A, Voirol M, Arnold J, Birchler R, OUyo JB, Guyot J, Capitaine Y. Gastric ulcer: a double-blind comparison of 100 mg pirenzepine plus antacid versus 800 mg cimetidine plus antacid. Scand J Gastroenterol 1986, 21, 806-808

Fifty-five patients with endoscopically confirmed gastric ulcers received either cimetidine (28 patients) or pirenzepine (27 patients) in a randomized double-blind manner. Fifty-seven per cent of the patients treated with cimetidine and 48% of those treated with pirenzepine presented with endoscopically healed ulcers after 4 weeks of treatment. By 8 weeks complete healing had occurred in 83% of the patients taking cimetidine and 76% of those taking pirenzepine. These differences were not statistically significant. Severity of pain on entering the study was correlated with slower healing of the ulcer. Side effects occurred in 5 of 27 patients in the pirenzepine group and 3 of 28 in the cimetidine group. They were mostly mild and did not differ from side effects observed in other studies.

Key Words:

• Cimetidine
• gastric ulcer
• pirenzepine