SUMMARY A controlled single-blind trial has been carried out to determine the value of long-term anticholinergic therapy in duodenal ulcer. Of 106 male patients with symptomatic and radiologically proven duodenal ulcer admitted to the trial, 91 completed the study. Patients were divided randomly into three groups. They received either glycopyrronium, or 1-hyoscyamine in a sustained-release form, or inert tablets for one year.Progress was judged on the basis of frequency and severity of symptoms, monthly assessments by patients, antacid consumption, and radiology. By all criteria, glycopyrronium and 1-hyoscyamine were not significantly superior to placebo. Symptomatic improvement, both subjective and objective, occurred in approximately 80% of all patients during the year of observation; there was no significant difference between the groups.Because anticholinergic agents reduce gastric motility and acid secretion, they have been used extensively in the treatment of peptic ulcer. In Britain the annual expenditure on such drugs is about two million pounds. Their value, however, in clinical practice is disputed and conclusions from clinical trials, many of which were uncontrolled, are conflicting.We have attempted in this study to assess the value of two anticholinergic drugs-one a natural alkaloid, the other a synthetic compound-in the long-term treatment of patients with duodenal ulceration.Method PATIENTS One hundred and six male patients (aged between 20 and 65) were admitted to the trial. They had had symptoms of peptic ulcer during the previous six months, and had had an ulcerated and/or deformed,duodenal cap demonstrated by radiology.At the first interview, the nature and purpose of the trial were explained, and a standard ques-