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Topical levocabastine is more effective than sodium cromoglycate for the prophylaxis and treatment of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis
Author(s) -
Davies B. H.,
Mullins J.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1993.tb01108.x
Subject(s) - medicine , placebo , tolerability , sodium cromoglycate , adverse effect , anesthesia , antihistamine , allergic conjunctivitis , incidence (geometry) , asthma , dermatology , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , optics
The efficacy, tolerability, and adverse‐effect profile of the recently developed, topical antihistamine levocabastine were compared with those of sodium cromoglycate in a 4‐week double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial in 95 patients with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. At the end of the trial, global therapeutic efficacy was considered to be excellent or good in 87% of levocabastine‐treated patients, as compared with 68% of sodium cromoglycate‐treated patients ( P = 0.006) and 63% of those who received placebo ( P = 0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, levocabastine patients had experienced significantly greater relief from their most severe ocular symptom than patients in the sodium cromoglycate group ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, 37% of levocabastine‐treated patients were virtually symptom‐free for at least 75% of the treatment period, as compared with only 6% of patients in the sodium cromoglycate group ( P < 0.01) and 4% of those who received placebo ( P < 0.01). Moreover, this trend was maintained on days when the pollen count was high, when the corresponding figures were 33%, 6% ( P = 0.02), and 4% ( P = 0.02), respectively. Levocabastine was well tolerated. Indeed, the incidence of adverse reactions was no greater in the levocabastine group than in the placebo group. Topical levocabastine is an effective and well‐tolerated drug for the prophylaxis and treatment of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.