Does Zantac HEAL Heartburn?

Here are some links to Zantac (Ranitidine) Commercials:

https://youtu.be/Z3QMwkSUlEg
https://youtu.be/3azJgTbPvGk
https://youtu.be/YA-ynxZ0tUM

The first commercial focuses on American's love for unhealthy food. The premise of the commercial is basically a pizza delivery man delivering a prescription of Zantac along with the pizza, and the man who ordered it excitedly celebrating because he can eat allllllll the unhealthy food he wants, now that he has Zantac. The commercial shows other delivery men lined up at the house with Chinese food, pizza, wings, and other stereotypically heartburn-causing foods.

The other two commercials are simply comparison commercials putting up Zantac against competing heartburn medications that essentially do the same thing, Zantac is only claiming it relieves heartburn faster. Using a visually pleasing animation of firemen putting out a fire in the stomach, it causes the consumer to imagine little firemen putting out their heartburn. The use of a fireman as a spokesperson  for the commercials is also a smart tactic.

According to Zantacotc.com, the active ingredient is:
Ranitidine 150 mg (as ranitidine hydrochloride 168 mg) 

with the purpose of: 

Acid reducer

It's uses include:

-relieves heartburn associated with acid indigestion and sour stomach
-prevents heartburn associated with acid indigestion and sour stomach brought on by eating or drinking certain foods and beverages

The warnings include:

Allergy alert: Do not use if you are allergic to ranitidine or other acid reducers

Do not use

• if you have trouble or pain swallowing food, vomiting with blood, or bloody or black stools. These may be signs of a serious condition. See your doctor.
• with other acid reducers
• if you have kidney disease, except under the advice and supervision of a doctor

Ask a doctor before use if you have

• had heartburn over 3 months. This may be a sign of a more serious condition.
• heartburn with lightheadedness, sweating or dizziness 
• chest pain or shoulder pain with shortness of breath; sweating; pain spreading to arms, neck or shoulders; or lightheadedness
• frequent chest pain
• frequent wheezing, particularly with heartburn 
• unexplained weight loss 
• nausea or vomiting 
• stomach pain 

Stop use and ask a doctor if

• your heartburn continues or worsens 
• you need to take this product for more than 14 days

If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.

Keep out of reach of children. In case of overdose, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.

At the end, the website says 

• "this product is sodium and sugar free"

You can buy:

-the Zantac brand 150 Maximum Strength, 50 pill package for for $18.99 at Walgreens

-the Wal-Zan hybrid with 24 pills for $7.99

-the Zantac brand 150 Maximum Strength 24 pill package at Target for $7.49

Through searching sources online I found that Ranitidine was first prepared as AH19065 by John Bradshaw in the summer of 1977 and that its development was a response to the first in class histamine H2 receptor antagonist, cimetidine, developed by Sir James Blackat Smith, Kline and French, and launched in the United Kingdom as Tagamet in November 1976. Ranitidine was introduced in 1981 and was the world's biggest-selling prescription drug by 1987. Since then, omeprazole has been the largest competitor, as a proton pump inhibitor rather than simply an acid reducer. In a study done with 144 people with severe inflammation, 85% of those treated with omemprazole (Prilosec OTC) were healed, whereas only 50% of those treated with Ranitidine (Zantac) were healed.

With this information I realized why Zantac commercials (like the third link) attack competitors like Prilosec so aggressively; Prilosec OTC will more likely heal your severe inflammation, which is the long term problem. However, Zantac will temporarily heal your excessive acid reflux, so their only angle is the "speed" of recovery, rather than the quality of recovery.