Does Caved-S decrease the gastric ulcer relapse rate during maintenance treatment with ranitidine?

Ninety-five patients with healed gastric ulcers were treated with ranitidine 150 mg at night plus either Caved-S two tablets twice daily, or an identical placebo preparation. Treatment was continued for 2 years: the recurrence rate after 1 year was 12.5% for single therapy and 19% for combined therapy, and 30 and 40% respectively after 2 years (differences not significant). No serious side-effects were encountered, but patients found the combination therapy difficult to take, and it conferred no clinical advantage. In a 3 month follow-up after stopping maintenance therapy, 11% of the patients had a symptomatic ulcer recurrence. It is therefore recommended that elderly patients with gastric ulceration should remain on maintenance therapy for life.