A Parallel-group Comparison of Astemizole and Loratadine for the Treatment ofPerennial Allergic Rhinitis

The efficacy and safety ofthe two antihistamines, astemizole and loratadine, were compared in a double-blind study of84 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Patients were ran-domized to receive orally either astemizole 10 mg once daily (n = 40) or loratadine 10 mg once daily (n = 44) for 1 week. No other antirhinitis medication was allowed during the study. By day 7 the mean daily symptom scores, recorded on diary cards, were lower in patients receiving astemizole than in those receiving loratadine for runny nose, itchy nose and sneezing, although not for blocked nose, and treatment dif-ferences only reached statistical significance for runny nose. After 7 days, 53.75 % of patients on astemizole and 38.6 % on loratadine were free of symptoms, and 87 % of patients on astemizole described the treatment as good or excellent com-pared with 62 % on loratadine. The present results suggest that astemizole may be more effective than loratadine in con-trolling symptoms of perennial allergic rhinitis