ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the acid-supressing capacity of omeprazole (OZ) 20 mg tablets vs pantoprazole (PZ) 20 and 40 mg tablets, in healthy volunteers, with 24-h intragastric pH-metry. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Open, randomized, cross-over trial in 10 healthy volunteers; on days 0.8 and 22, 24-h intragastric pH-metry. Day 0, basal, thereafter 7 days with OZ or PZ 20 mg/day; day 8, pH-metry, then "wash out" for 7 days and thereafter 7 more days' therapy with PZ or OZ. On day 22 a 24-h intragastric pH control was performed again. In the last treatment stage, all of them were administered pantoprazole 40 mg/day for 8 days again with a 24-h pH recording at the end. RESULTS: 24-h pH-metry expressed as the time (hours) in which the pH was < or = 4 and the values as mean +/- standard deviation. BASAL 22.12 +/- 1.54, POST-OZ 9.78 +/- 6.72, POST-PZ 20 15.65 +/- 5.65, POST-PZ 40 8.57 +/- 5.93. Statistical evaluation with two way repeated measures ANOVA p < 0.0001. Newman Keuls post-hoc test: (1) vs (2) p < 0.003; (1) vs (3) p < 0.03; (2) vs (4) 0.65. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results it might be stated that both proton pump inhibitors have acid-supressing capacity and omeprazole in equal dosis is more effective than pantoprazole as acid-supressor, with statistically significative differences. There was no difference between 20 mg omeprazole and 40 mg pantoprazole.