COMPARISON OF AZELASTINE NASAL SPRAY AND ORAL EBASTINE IN TREATING SEASONAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS

The efficacy and safety of the nasally administered histamine HI recep tor blocking drug azelastine was investigated in a randomized comparat ive trial with ebastine. Patients were treated for 14 days and efficac y was assessed by the physician using a rating scale measuring 10 nasa l and ocular symptoms of seasonal rhinitis (0 = absent, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe). Tolerability was measured on the basis of repor ted adverse events. Data from a total of 59 patients were included in the efficacy analysis. Both treatment groups had dramatic reductions i n the physician's total symptom score following treatment. Mean scores in the azelastine group decreased from 12.4 pretreatment to 5.6, whil e the mean ebastine scores decreased from 13.6 to 6.6. There was no si gnificant difference between the two groups (p = 0.86). Changes in ind ividual rhinitis symptoms showed no differences between the two groups . The majority of patients in both treatment groups reported an initia l relief of symptoms within 1 h of dosing. For seven patients treated with azelastine, the initial effect was already seen after 10 min (eba stine: two patients). Eight adverse events were reported in each treat ment group; all were mild except one report of sedation in an ebastine patient, which was of moderate severity. Three patients reported somn olence during treatment with ebastine. A bitter taste was mentioned by four patients in the azelastine group, but neither somnolence nor sed ation was reported with azelastine. In conclusion, the results of the study suggest that both azelastine and ebastine are effective treatmen ts of the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis. Both drugs were well tolerated.