Levofloxacin-vs. ranitidine bismuth citrate-containing therapy after H-pylori treatment failure

Background Ranitidine bismuth citrate and levofloxacin-based regimen may be an alternative to quadruple therapy after Helicobacter pylori eradication failure. Our aim was to compare two 7-day triple second-line regimens containing ranitidine bismuth citrate or levofloxacin. Methods Patients in whom a first eradication trial with omeprazole-clarithromycin-amoxicillin had failed were randomized to receive 7-day treatment with: 1, ranitidine bismuth citrate (400 mg b.i.d.), tetracycline (500 mg q.i.d.), and metronidazole (250 mg q.i.d.), or 2, levofloxacin (500 mg b.i.d.), amoxicillin (1 g b.i.d.), and omeprazole (20 mg b.i.d.). Cure rates were evaluated by C-13-urea breath test. Results One-hundred patients were included: 50 received the ranitidine bismuth citrate regimen, and 50 the levofloxacin one. Groups were comparable in terms of demographic variables. Two percent of the patients (one in each group) did not return for follow up. Compliance was similar in both groups (90% took all the medications correctly). Side-effects (only mild/moderate) in the two groups were also comparable (38% with ranitidine bismuth citrate and 36% with levofloxacin). Per-protocol cure rates were 69% (95% CI = 54-80%) in the ranitidine bismuth citrate group, and 71% (57-82%) in the levofloxacin one. Intention-to-treat cure rates were, respectively, 68% (59-79%) and 68% (59-79%) (nonstatistically significant differences). Conclusions Both 7-day ranitidine bismuth citrate- and levofloxacin-containing second-line regimens represent alternatives to quadruple therapy in patients with previous omeprazole-clarithromycin-amoxicillin failure.