title: Levocabastine nasal spray better than sodium cromoglycate and placebo in the topical treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis.
abstract: The efficacy and safety of the nasal administration (twice in each nostril, four times a day) of levocabastine (0.5 mg/ml) were compared with those of sodium cromoglycate (20 mg/ml) and placebo in a 2-week, parallel, double-blind trial in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. At the end of treatment, 89% of patients in the levocabastine-treated group rated their treatment as globally good or excellent as compared with 32% (p = 0.003) of sodium cromoglycate-treated and 35% (p = 0.002) of placebo-treated patients. According to the investigators' ratings, the severest nasal symptom and ocular complaints responded better to levocabastine than to cromoglycate (p = 0.05 and p = 0.03) or placebo treatment (p = 0.03 and p = 0.001). Visual analogue scale ratings in patients' diaries indicated that at the end of therapy, nasal symptoms were less severe in the levocabastine-treated group than in the sodium cromoglycate-treated (p = 0.03) or placebo-treated group (p = 0.001). Total symptom severity as a percentage of the theoretical maximum symptom severity during the treatment period was lower for levocabastine than for sodium cromoglycate (p = 0.06) or placebo (p = 0.004) for the severest nasal symptom (35% versus 47% and 76%), sneezing (the most frequent symptom) (27% versus 42% and 67%), and itchy nose (18% versus 37% and 67%). The percentage of days at which nasal symptoms were entirely absent was markedly higher in the levocabastine-treated (33%) than in the sodium cromoglycate-treated (9%; p = 0.006) or placebo-treated (3%; p = 0.001) group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Asthmakrankenhaus der Kamillianer, Mönchengladbach, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schata
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jorde
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Richarz-Barthauer
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004205:Cromolyn Sodium / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010880:Piperidines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010919:Placebos; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D010880:Piperidines; D010919:Placebos; C047340:levocabastine; D004205:Cromolyn Sodium