SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2005
11/20/05
Comparison of clinical effects of levocetirizine and desloratadine in allergic rhinitis
Summary
Background – Levocetirizine (L-cet), an analogue of cetirizine (Zyrtec) and desloratadine (Des-l), an analogue of loratadine (Claritin) are recently released antihistamines postulated to be more potent in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR).
Findings - Passalacqua and Canonica of the Univ of Genoa in Italy reviewed 8 controlled clinical studies, which compared the efficacy of L-cet and Des-l treatment in AR. They concluded that L-cet has a faster onset and more consistent efficacy than Des-l in such treatment.
Reference
Clin Ther 2005;2:979-92
Editor's Comments
These findings are not too surprising to me considering that previous studies have generally found that cetirizine, the “parent” of L-cet had faster onset and/or greater efficacy than loratadine, “parent” of Des-l. I would want to know whether there is an increased incidence of adverse cognitive effects with L-cet treatment (as compared to placebo treatment) since up to 14% of those treated with cetirizine exhibit such adverse effects. I would also like to see the results of a comparison of the effects of L-cet and fexofenadine, a widely used antihistamine with no significant adverse effects.
|