Ranitidine

Ranitidine (GlaxoSmithKline and by many other companies under various other names.

Clinical use

Main article: H2-receptor antagonist

Certain preparations of ranitidine are available over the counter (OTC) in various countries. In the United States, 75 mg and 150 mg tablets are available OTC. In Australia, packs containing 7 or 14 doses of the 150 mg tablet are avaiable in supermarkets, small packs of 150 mg and 300 mg tablets are Schedule 2 Pharmacy Medicines. Larger doses and pack sizes still require a prescription.

Outside of the United States, ranitidine is combined with clarithromycin, another antibiotic.

History and development

Ranitidine was developed by Glaxo (now rational drug-design process using what was by then a fairly refined model of the histamine H₂-receptor and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR).

Glaxo refined the model further by replacing the adverse drug reactions), longer-lasting action, and ten times the activity of cimetidine.

Ranitidine was introduced in 1981 and was the world's biggest-selling prescription drug by 1988. It has since largely been superseded by the even more effective omeprazole becoming the biggest-selling drug for many years.