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| |  ACAAI: Montelukast Sodium as Effective as Loratadine in Treating Allergic Rhinitis By Emma Hitt Special to DG News ORLANDO, FL -- November 18, 2001 -- Monotherapy with the leukotriene receptor antagonist Singulair (montelukast sodium) appears to be as effective in treating allergic rhinitis as the H1-receptor antagonist Claritin (loratadine). Safa Mounir Nsouli, MD, an allergist in Castro Valley, California, United States, and colleagues presented the findings yesterday (Nov. 17) at the 47th annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), in Orlando, Florida. In a randomized, open-labeled, eight-week trial of 20 patients, they compared the efficacy of a once-daily dose of 10 mg of Singulair to that of the same dose of Claritin. They assessed the drugs’ effectiveness using rhinomanometry and subjective symptom scoring, including degree of postnasal drip, congestion, sneezing, and rhinnorhea. By the end of the eight-week trial, symptoms were significantly improved compared to baseline, and monotherapy with Singulair led to a greater increase in rhinomanometry readings compared to Claritin, indicating its superior ability to improve inspiratory flow rate. The same researchers previously found that using a combination of Claritin and Singulair had an additive effect in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. "With allergic rhinitis, we should think more often about using anti-inflammatory agents, such as montelukast, rather than just anti-histamines, such as loratadine," Dr. Nsouli Told Doctor’s Guide Montelukast is also approved in the United States and Canada for the treatment of asthma in young children and adults. Singulair is marketed by Merck Laboratories, of Rahway, New Jersey. Claritin is marketed by Schering-Plough Corp., of Kenilworth, New Jersey.
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