A clinical review of montelukast in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (PDF)
June 1st 2003Seasonal allergic rhinitis is a disease characterized by sneezing, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and itching, conventionally treated with intranasal corticosteroids and antihistamines. The leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast (Singulair, Merck) recently gained FDA approval for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. While studies have shown the efficacy of montelukast in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis, there are no published clinical efficacy trials to date to support the use of montelukast alone or in combination with antihistamines as a superior therapy to intranasal corticosteroids in the management of seasonal allergic rhinitis. When combined with current economic considerations, the primary role of montelukast appears to be as an adjunct agent in patients whose seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms cannot be controlled with intranasal corticosteroids or nonsedating antihistamines alone.
Inhaled corticosteroids may carry less risk of BMD reduction in postmenopausal women
April 1st 2003Corticosteroid therapy is an effective treatment for asthma sufferers, but the use of systemic corticosteroids is known to increase the risk of osteoporotic fractures. A recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests that moderate doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) carry less risk than traditional oral corticosteroid (OC) therapy with respect to reduction of bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. This assertion is based on the premise that the lowest daily dose of IC sufficient to control the patient's asthma is used.
Alefacept: A T-cell-specific immunosuppressant to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PDF)
July 1st 2002Alefacept (Amevive) is the first immunosuppressive agent directed specifically at inhibiting the activation of, and possibly killing, T cells, which are involved in the cascade of events leading to psoriatic plaque formation and inflammation. In May, an FDA advisory committee recommended alefacept for approval as a first-line therapy against moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The authors of this Focus article review the clinical characteristics of alefacept as well as make comparisons with other systemic drugs currently used to treat chronic psoriasis and the likely biologic competitors etanercept and infliximab.
Health systems/plans share common coverage vision for Clarinex, OTC Claritin
May 1st 2002Last month the FDA's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee unanimously supported loratadine's (Claritin, Schering-Plough) switch from prescription to over-the-counter status for treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria, moving the drug one step closer to full OTC status (see significant event timeline in sidebar).
Biologics new and old may offer long-term management option for psoriasis
April 1st 2002An array of both existing and investigational biologic agents are showing efficacy in clearing psoriasis and may prove useful for long-term psoriasis management. So suggests a collection of studies presented at the 60th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held recently in New Orleans.