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93 publications concerning drug-induced pancreatitis are reviewed. A confirmed causal relationship between drug and acute pancreatitis so far exists only for 8 compounds: azathioprine, chlorothiazide, furosemide, sulfonamides, tetracycline, estrogens, valproic acid and L-asparaginase. There is less convincing, but still suggestive, evidence for a causal relationship with 5 other drugs, namely: corticosteroids, chlorthalidone, ethacrynic acid, phenformin and iatrogenic hypercalcemia. Due to inadequate or contradictory evidence, the link between a number of additional drugs and acute pancreatitis is considered possible, conditional or doubtful. Finally, the scant literature concerning the pathogenesis and histological lesions of drug-induced pancreatitis is briefly reviewed.

34 patients were treated with cimetidine and placebo in a double blind trial and 42 were treated with cimetidine alone. Criteria investigated were the pain response, consumption of antacids when required and especially the endoscopically demonstrated scarring of the duodenal ulcer. Compared with placebo, cimetidine is capable of soothing pain and also reducing the consumption of antacids more quickly and to a greater extent. The differences are statistically significant. Complete anatomical healing of the ulcer was established in the double blind study in 80% of the patients in the cimetidine group and in 40% of the placebo group. Similar results were also shown in the group which received cimetidine alone.