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A study has revealed that the allergy drug desloratadine considerably reduces nasal congestion and allergic rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever, is a set of symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, red itchy and watery eyes, nasal congestion) caused by an allergic response to something in the environment like pollen, dust mites, animal dander, or mold. It can be a trouble throughout the year (persistent) or only during certain months (seasonal), depending on the individual and the allergic activation.
While second generation allergy drugs are non-sedating, they are generally thought to be less effective in reducing nasal congestion than nasal sprays and decongestants.
In the recent examination, French and Swedish researchers randomly administered 584 people suffering from allergic rhinitis with desloratadine (5 milligrams daily) or inactive placebo. Over the 28-day test, the participants kept symptom diaries and answered quality-of-life questions weekly. Unlike previous studies, the researchers included nasal congestion as a measured symptom.
According to a report in the journal Allergy, desloratadine was appreciably better than placebo in reducing both the runny nose and congestion of seasonal and persistent allergic rhinitis.
The researchers found that Desloratadine led to marked relief by the end of the third day in both seasonal and persistent allergy sufferers. The participants got full relief after two weeks on the drug.
Clarinex (desloratadine) is the prescription version of the over-the-counter drug Claritin (loratadine), which is available in generic form. Like loratadine, desloratadine is taken in pill form daily.
The price of desloratadine is about twice that of generic loratadine. A generic version of desloratadine will be available in 2012.
