Background: Ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. is the currently recommended dosage in the United States for the treatment of erosive oesophagitis. To determine whether a higher dose of ranitidine administered less frequently would also be effective in healing erosive oesophagitis, we compared ranitidine 300 mg b.d. with ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. in the treatment of erosive oesophagitis.
Methods: This multicentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study conducted in the United States compared two dosages of ranitidine in 772 patients with endoscopically diagnosed erosive oesophagitis. Patients were treated with ranitidine 300 mg b.d., ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. or placebo for up to 12 weeks. Endoscopies were repeated after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment.
Results: Ranitidine 300 mg b.d. was significantly more effective than placebo in healing erosive oesophagitis at weeks 8 and 12 (51 vs. 36% and 66 vs. 52%, respectively; P < or = 0.004). Significantly higher healing rates were also achieved with ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. compared with placebo at 4, 8 and 12 weeks (37 vs. 21%, 62 vs. 36% and 77 vs. 52%, respectively; P < 0.001). Healing rates were significantly higher with ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. than with ranitidine 300 mg b.d. at all scheduled endoscopies (P < or = 0.041).
Conclusions: Ranitidine 300 mg b.d. is effective in healing erosive oesophagitis and may be appropriate as an alternative dosage regimen to ranitidine 150 mg q.d.s. in some patients with erosive oesophagitis.