Ranitidine or Cimetidine

Excerpt

Physicians in the United States are now getting their first experience with ranitidine HCL (Zantac; Glaxo Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida), a new H₂-receptor blocking antihistamine that inhibits gastric acid secretion with a potency four- to eightfold that of cimetidine (1, 2). In June, the FDA approved marketing of the drug for short-term oral use in the treatment of duodenal ulcer and for unrestricted use in hypersecretory states, such as the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The drug is not yet approved for gastric ulcer, maintenance therapy in duodenal ulcers, or parenteral use. Ranitidine received a therapeutic rating of 1C, which the FDA assigns