Suppressive Action of Lansoprazole on Gastric Acidity and Its Clinical Effect in Patients with Gastric Ulcers

We studied the action on acid secretion of lansoprazole compared with famotidine by 24-h intragastric pH monitoring, evaluated its clinical effects prospectively, and assessed the importance of acid inhibition in gastric ulcer patients. Twenty symptomatic patients with active gastric ulcers diagnosed by endoscopy were assigned to a lansoprazole (LAN) group (lansoprazole 30 mg q.d., n = 10) or a famotidine (FAM) group (famotidine 20 mg b.i.d., n = 10). There were no differences between the groups in pretreatment pH profiles or background factors such as age, sex, smoking, previous ulcer therapy, ulcer site, or Helicobacter pylori infection. The FAM group showed a continuous increase in intragastric pH during the night, with low pH values except for a transient increase associated with food intake during the day. However, the LAN group showed a more neutral pH throughout the day, with pH-3 holding time ratios of 99.0% for 24 h, 98.3% at night, and 99.8% during the day, compared with 68.0, 76.5, and 59.4%, respectively, in the FAM group. The healing rate was also higher in the LAN group. We conclude that inhibition of gastric acidity is important in ulcer therapy and that lansoprazole is superior to famotidine in promoting ulcer healing.