title: Bilastine for the treatment of urticaria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Urticaria is a highly prevalent disease among people. First-choice treatment continues to be centred on the second-generation H1 antihistamines, including a wide group of drugs with a better therapeutic index (or risk:benefit ratio) than the classic ones, even in the high, off-label dosage occasionally required in chronic urticaria. Bilastine is a newly registered H1-antihistamine for treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria. With established antihistaminic and antiallergic properties, it is widely reviewed in the medical literature; however, to our knowledge, a specific review of bilastine's role in the treatment of urticaria was lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article reviews the medical literature on the effectiveness and safety of bilastine in urticarial syndromes, either spontaneous or inducible, by means of a Medline search from 1990 to present, completed with some nonpublished data provided by the manufacturer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Once-daily treatment with bilastine 20 mg is effective in managing symptoms and improving patient's quality of life in chronic urticaria, with at least comparable efficacy to levocetirizine. As far as studies in healthy volunteers, clinical assays, and recent clinical experience can establish, bilastine's safety profile is adequate, appearing to be entirely free from cardiovascular effects, and not impairing psychomotor performance or actual driving, even at twice the therapeutic dose.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Alergia, Hospital Universitario Basurto, Hospital de Basurto, Avenida de Montevideo, 18 -48013 Bilbao, Spain. ignacio.jaureguipresa@osakidetza.net
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jáuregui
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bartra
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: del Cuvillo
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dávila
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montoro
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mullol
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sastre
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006633:Histamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014581:Urticaria / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D006633:Histamine Antagonists; D010880:Piperidines; C445659:bilastine