Background: The comparative effects of omeprazole and lansoprazole on gastric acidity in Helicobacter pylori-positive subjects and the clearance of H. pylori are unknown.
Methods: Eighteen asymptomatic H. pylori-positive subjects were studied. Each volunteer received 7 days of omeprazole, lansoprazole, or placebo in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, with a washout period of 4-6 weeks between treatments. At the end of each treatment period 24-h dual-point intragastric pH-metry was performed, and H. pylori clearance was assessed.
Results: Both omeprazole (corpus/antrum pH: 5.5/5.5) and lansoprazole (5.4/5.4) increased intragastric pH compared with placebo (1.5/1.3). Over the 24-h recording there was no difference between the two treatments with regard to control of intragastric pH or clearance of H. pylori.
Conclusion: Omeprazole, 20 mg once daily, and lansoprazole, 30 mg once daily, are comparably effective antisecretory agents in H. pylori-positive subjects. Both agents provide only transient clearance of H. pylori in a few subjects.