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Desloratadine Reduces Nasal Congestion, Other Symptoms in Persistent Allergic Rhinitis: Presented at EAACI
By Michael Smith
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS -- June 14, 2004 -- Desloratadine, a new antihistamine, eases nasal congestion and reduces the other symptoms of persistent allergic rhinitis, report researchers.
Kenneth Holmberg, MD, PhD, of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden presented at the 23rd Congress of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunotherapy (EAACI) findings of an international, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that evaluated the effect of desloratadine on nasal congestion.
According to Dr. Holmberg, the drug acted quickly, was long-lasting, and improved all the symptoms of rhinitis, especially nasal congestion. A total of 584 patients who were allergic to either house dust mites and/or cats participated in the study. Other rhinitis symptoms were secondary end points.
To be eligible for the study, patients had to have demonstrated persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR) that had lasted at least 2 years, with moderate to severe symptoms and a nasal congestion score of 4 or higher.
Effects were evaluated using self-assessed symptom scores, twice daily, as well as self-measured peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) tests.
The patients were randomized to receive either 5 mg. desloratadine, once a day, or placebo, for 4 weeks.
The superiority of the drug on nasal congestion was evident from the first day of treatment, said Dr. Holmberg, and achieved statistical significance starting at day 7 and continuing to the end of the treatment period at day 28.
For example, over the second week of treatment, desloratadine reduced nasal congestion by 20.8% compared to 15.3% for placebo, and the scores were similar in the morning and evening, demonstrating a 24-hour effect, he pointed out. Other symptoms were also reduced, stating at day 1 for ocular symptoms and day 4 for other nasal symptoms.
Interestingly, the recorded PNIF tests did not reveal any significant difference among the treatment and placebo groups.
Desloratadine did not cause any unexpected adverse events and there were no serious events linked to the treatment. As well, there were no sedative, cardiac, or anti-cholinergic effects of the study drug. Overall, 101 patients in each group had at least one adverse event, mostly headaches, Dr. Holmberg concluded.
In a separate presentation, the researchers reported on quality-of-life improvements seen by patients on desloratadine. About two thirds of the patients perceived an improvement on desloratadine, compared with 55% of those on placebo, said Andre-Bernard Tonnell, MD, of Albert Calmette Hospital, in Lille, France.
261 - Desloratadine reduces nasal congestion in persistent (perennial) allergic rhinitis
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