[Superiority of pantoprazole over ranitidine in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. Mexican clinical experience. Mexican Study Group of Pantoprazole++ in Duodenal Ulcer]. / Superioridad del pantoprazol sobre la ranitidina en el tratamiento de la úlcera duodenal. Experiencia clínica Mexicana. Grupo Mexicano de Estudio del Pantoprazol en Ulcera Duodenal.

BACKGROUND: Pantoprazole is a new Proton Pump Inhibitor that has demonstrated to be superior to ranitidine in the healing of the acid related diseases. AIMS: To compare efficacy and tolerability of oral treatment with pantoprazole vs. ranitidine in outpatients with endoscopically confirmed florid duodenal ulcers in Mexican patients. METHODS: Prospective, multicentric, balanced, randomized, double blind, parallel group comparison clinical trial. Each patient received 40 mg pantoprazole plus placebo or 300 mg ranitidine plus placebo once daily for 2 weeks; if patients had not healed endoscopically by then, treatment was continued for two more weeks, with a final endoscopy. RESULTS: 163 protocol-correct patients were analyzed: 82 for pantoprazole group and 81 for ranitidine group. Healing rates at week 2 were 72% for pantoprazole and 51% for ranitidine (p < 0.01) and correspondingly 95 and 86% at week 4. The percentage of patients suffering from pain declined faster in the pantoprazole group. Both products were well tolerated and safe. CONCLUSIONS: Pantoprazole is well tolerated and significantly superior to ranitidine in florid duodenal ulcers healing.