Volume 22, Issue 7 pp. 711-716
Full Access

Comparative inhibition profiles of three non-sedating antihistamines assessed by an extended Lewis model*

L. SHALL

Corresponding Author

L. SHALL

Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, U.K.

Dr L. Shall, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.Search for more papers by this author
D. A. THOMPSON

D. A. THOMPSON

The Association for Clinical Research, Kensington, London, U.K.

Search for more papers by this author
A. S. J. BARKLEY

A. S. J. BARKLEY

Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, U.K.

Search for more papers by this author
L. G. MILLARD

L. G. MILLARD

Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, U.K.

Search for more papers by this author
First published: July 1992
Citations: 5
*

This manuscript was presented in part at the annual summer meeting of the British Association of Dermatologists, Cambridge, U.K., July 1989.

Summary

Antihistaminic drugs are widely prescribed across a multitude of medical specialities such as Allergy and Dermatology. The potentially serious sedative effect of these valuable agents has previously restricted their full use and the choice of drug has been dictated more by individual patient acceptability than by any laboratory demonstrations of comparative efficacy. Unsurprisingly therefore, there is a trend towards prescribing those newer preparations which leave the central nervous system unclouded. We have studied the most frequently prescribed non-sedating antihistamine preparations, terfenadine (Triludan, Triludan Forte), cetirizine (Zirtek) and loratadine (Clarityn) in pharmacodynamic and relative efficacy trials using a quantifiable and reproducible extension of the classic Lewis model. The results indicate that two preparations, terfenadine 120 mg (Triludan Forte) and cetirizine 10 mg (Zirtek) are superior to their immediate rivals in degree of efficacy and/or speed of action. These results should assist clinicians in the positioning of effective, rapidly acting antihistamines for the symptomatic treatment of immediate hypersensitivity reactions such as urticaria and rhinitis.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.