title: Safety and efficacy of bilastine: a new H(1)-antihistamine for the treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  New H(1)-antihistamines should be effective in relieving the symptoms of allergic disease, should have a rapid onset and long duration of action and should neither cause sedation nor interact with cytochrome P450. A review of bilastine was undertaken to determine whether this newer H(1)-antihistamine meets these requirements.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Medline search was conducted to identify preclinical and clinical studies of bilastine. This was supplemented with additional articles or abstracts cited in reference lists and/or obtained from online sources and internal reports supplied by Faes Farma. Review of these data indicated that bilastine has high selectivity for H(1)-receptors, is rapidly and effectively absorbed, undergoes negligible metabolism and is a substrate for P-glycoprotein, which limits its passage across the blood-brain barrier. At the recommended dose of 20 mg, bilastine is non-sedative, does not enhance the effects of alcohol or CNS sedatives, does not impair actual driving tests, shows no cardiotoxicity and has a similar efficacy to other second-generation H(1)-antihistamines in the treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In view of its favorable pharmacological and clinical characteristics, bilastine is likely to have particular benefit in urticaria for which guidelines recommend increasing the dosage of H(1)-antihistamines up to fourfold if standard dosing is ineffective.
authors.affiliation: Allergie-Centrum-Charité, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117, Berlin, Germany. mkc@southampton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Martin K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Church
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D010880:Piperidines / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014581:Urticaria / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D010880:Piperidines; C445659:bilastine