Acid hyposecretion

Empirical drug discovery, despite its successes, is not without intrinsic problems the identification of a lead compound is divorced from an understanding of its mechanism of action, making lead optimization difficult since there is no easily quantifiable way to ascertain whether an analog will have greater effect. Additionally, the value of an empirical screen depends on its predictive ability. In some cases, such as acid hyposecretion or H2-receptor binding assays. 

A drug may also be used to diagnose a disease. Histamine has been used to assess the ability of the stomach to secrete acid and to determine parietal cell mass. If an acidity or hyposecretion... 

Davenport H W. Is the apparent hyposecretion of acid by patients with gastric ulcer a consequence of a broken barrier to diffusion of hydrogen ions into the gastric mucosa Gut 6 513, 1965. 

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