Drug Companies Compete for Allergy Dollars
March 17, 2000 (Atlanta) -- It's hay fever season, and drug companies are once again vying for consumer dollars with a plethora of antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays, and shots. Soon, there may be even more offerings for allergy sufferers, including an allergy "vaccine," longer-lasting versions of existing drugs, and drugs that block symptoms in different ways.
An estimated 45 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, also called hay fever, which cause symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes and coughing.
The currently available pills and sprays are reasonably effective in 75% to 85% of patients, says allergist Jonathan Corren, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine in the division of clinical immunology and allergy at UCLA.
"The downside, though, is some patients just don't want to take a daily pill," he tells WebMD. "In some patients, they just don't work. And in less than 5% of patients, the nasal steroids [sprays] cause nosebleeds. When various drugs or combinations just don't work, we use allergy immunotherapy or vaccine therapy -- shots -- which have proven very useful. That works very well in most of those hard-to-treat patients. Effects last three to five years, maybe longer."
Allergy shots, though, must be given once a week for six to nine months to create a tolerance to the substance that causes the symptoms, Corren says. "And it's a serious therapy; if you give an adequate dose, you have to watch for reactions like hives to wheezing or throat swelling."
Several new hay-fever products are in the development pipeline. A once-daily version of Allegra (fexofenadine), a drug aimed at stopping sniffles and sneezes without causing drowsiness, will soon be on store shelves. While Allegra previously had to be taken twice daily, this version competes with the once-a-day Claritin (loratadine), the most commonly prescribed antihistamine. Zyrtec (cetirizine) is a once-a-day allergy pill, but it causes drowsiness.
Schering-Plough Corp. announced last fall that it is seeking FDA approval to market desloratadine, an antihistamine that is nonsedating and longer-acting than the company's Claritin. The drug has been tested in four large trials, the company says.
Drug Companies Compete for Allergy Dollars
March 17, 2000 (Atlanta) -- It's hay fever season, and drug companies are once again vying for consumer dollars with a plethora of antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays, and shots. Soon, there may be even more offerings for allergy sufferers, including an allergy "vaccine," longer-lasting versions of existing drugs, and drugs that block symptoms in different ways.
An estimated 45 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, also called hay fever, which cause symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes and coughing.
The currently available pills and sprays are reasonably effective in 75% to 85% of patients, says allergist Jonathan Corren, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine in the division of clinical immunology and allergy at UCLA.
"The downside, though, is some patients just don't want to take a daily pill," he tells WebMD. "In some patients, they just don't work. And in less than 5% of patients, the nasal steroids [sprays] cause nosebleeds. When various drugs or combinations just don't work, we use allergy immunotherapy or vaccine therapy -- shots -- which have proven very useful. That works very well in most of those hard-to-treat patients. Effects last three to five years, maybe longer."
Allergy shots, though, must be given once a week for six to nine months to create a tolerance to the substance that causes the symptoms, Corren says. "And it's a serious therapy; if you give an adequate dose, you have to watch for reactions like hives to wheezing or throat swelling."
Several new hay-fever products are in the development pipeline. A once-daily version of Allegra (fexofenadine), a drug aimed at stopping sniffles and sneezes without causing drowsiness, will soon be on store shelves. While Allegra previously had to be taken twice daily, this version competes with the once-a-day Claritin (loratadine), the most commonly prescribed antihistamine. Zyrtec (cetirizine) is a once-a-day allergy pill, but it causes drowsiness.
Schering-Plough Corp. announced last fall that it is seeking FDA approval to market desloratadine, an antihistamine that is nonsedating and longer-acting than the company's Claritin. The drug has been tested in four large trials, the company says.