(RxWiki News) Allergy relief is going green with a new nasal spray that does not deplete the ozone. The nasal spray was eco-friendly and effective for perennial, or yearlong, allergic rhinitis sufferers.
Perennial allergic rhinitis has the same symptoms as hay fever, itchy eyes and nasal congestion, but is based on indoor allergens such as dust mites. Hay fever is triggered by outdoor allergens such as grass pollen.
The nasal spray, beclomethasone dipropionate hydrofluoroalkane (BDP HFA), is the first of its kind for perennial allergic rhinitis. Previous treatments were only available in liquid form which could be uncomfortable to take.
"Ask your doctor about current hay fever treatments."
The study was led by Warren W. Carr, M.D., from the Allergy and Asthma Associates of Southern California Medical Group. The six-week double-blind study involved 474 perennial allergic rhinitis sufferers. Out of the 374 participants, 236 received the BDP HFA once-daily treatment and 238 participants received a once-daily placebo. Participants reported their quality of life via questionnaire and symptom relief was also recorded by a doctor.
At the end of six weeks, the group using BDP HFA had significantly improved quality of life and symptom relief when compared to the placebo group. Nasal symptoms, as assessed by physician, including congestion, itching and sneezing was also improved in the BDP HFA group.
BDP HFA was found to be safe and effective for perennial allergic rhinitis symptom relief. This study focused on adult patients but in another study, BDP HFA was found to be just as safe and effective in children who had hay fever.
The second BDP HFA double-blind study was led by Nathan Segall, M.D., from the Georgia Allergy & Respiratory involved 715 children between the ages of six and 11.
According to researchers, the nasal spray was desirable for use in children because the liquid form of the treatment was unpleasant because of the “drip down the throat” sensation. Researchers wanted to determine if BDP HFA was safe and effective in children.
The 715 children were divided into three groups, 239 children received an 80 microgram dose of BDP HFA, 242 children received an 160 microgram dose of BDP HFA, and 234 children received a placebo. For two weeks, researchers measured nasal symptoms once in the morning and once at night.
Hay fever symptoms were significantly improved for both groups using the BDP HFA when compared to the placebo group. According to the researchers, BDP HFA was well tolerated in children and safe to use. According to researchers, previous studies had show BDP HFA to be safe and effective in adults and adolescents with hay fever.
The two BDP HFA studies showed that the nasal spray was safe and effective in adults for perennial allergic rhinitis and for hay fever in children.
Two researchers who worked on both studies were employees of Teva Branded Pharmaceutical Products.
Both studies were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
