MEDA/Online survey on treating allergic rhinitis: Patients mostly want to improve their quality of life
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
CGC /
MEDA/Online survey on treating allergic rhinitis: Patients mostly want to
improve their quality of life
. Processed and transmitted by Thomson Reuters ONE.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The potential for improving the quality of life is the most important property
of any hay fever medication for those affected. So said the results of an
international survey carried out on the Internet platform www.azelastine.info.
The aim of the survey was to find out which properties of hay fever treatment
patients see as most beneficial to themselves in their daily lives. Increasing
the quality of life and fast relief were the properties that received not only
the highest average values but also the highest values overall. The pressure
felt by patients suffering from hay fever (allergic rhinitis) is very high.
Those affected by it experience severe limitations to their activities in all
areas of their lives. The desire for a fast-acting and easy-to-use therapy is
thus easy to understand and also in keeping with the notions of the
international association ARIA*. According to their guidelines, a hay fever
therapy should not only aim at reducing symptoms but also offer sufferers, among
other things, an ability to pursue their daily commitments and take part in
leisure-time activities without any limitations. Such an improvement in the
quality of life is possible by employing a custom-tailored therapy with
Azelastine nasal spray and eye drops. This antihistamine from the family of new
histamines, H1 receptor blockers, acts local, at sites just where it is needed.
It starts to work against all symptoms[1] in just 10 to 15 minutes[4].
Azelastine has the advantage that it can be used when symptoms appear[10] as
well as a preventive.
There are numerous symptoms of hay fever: a congested or constantly runny nose,
sneezing attacks, red, teary and light-sensitive eyes, often with swollen lids.
Characteristics also include itching of the eyes, nose, palate and throat,
sometimes even the ears. A dry, hacking cough, difficulties breathing, headaches
and even abdominal troubles can also occur. If hay fever remains untreated, it
can develop into allergic asthma. Even though such symptoms only appear
bothersome at first, in the long run they can not only impair the way we feel
but also disrupt how we go about our daily lives. Over time, night wakefulness
makes us groggy and sleepy all day long, resulting in difficulties concentrating
which in turn hamper performance not only at work and school but also during
sports and leisure-time activities. Considering all this, any therapy for
allergic rhinitis should not only aim to reduce symptoms but also focus on
improving the quality of life of those affected.
10 good reasons to decide for treatment using Azelastine
Effective help against all symptoms
In contrast to other possible therapies, Azelastine relieves effectively the
symptoms of allergic rhinitis, such as a runny and congested nose, itching and
sneezing. The eye drops relieve the itchy and teary eyes caused by accompanying
conjunctivitis[1]. Azelastine works at least as well if not better than intra-
nasal corticosteroids but is much easier to tolerate[2],[3].
Fast-acting
Azelastine works faster than other therapies: The nasal spray frees air passages
from symptoms after only 10 to 15 minutes[4]. Azelastine eye drops reduce
symptoms after only 3 minutes[5]. In contrast, nasal corticoids don't start
working for up to two hours[6], and oral antihistamines sometimes not even up to
three hours later[7].
Long-lasting
Azelastine works for up to 12 hours. So it only has to be used twice a day[8].
Easy to use
One spray of Azelastine nasal spray per nostril or two drops in each eye twice
daily are enough to effectively relieve the symptoms of allergic rhinitis and
conjunctivitis[9]. At the start of therapy, or for patients with severe
symptoms, the dose can be increased to two blasts of spray per nostril twice a
day.
Flexible: use when needed
Because it works so fast, it is enough to use the nasal spray or eye drops when
the first symptoms have already appeared and rapid relief is desired (first-dose
effect)[10]. Constant use, or even preventive use long before the first symptoms
appear, such as that needed with other active agents, is unnecessary with
Azelastine. Sufferers can therefore do without planning a long time ahead and
consulting pollen forecasts.
Does not cause fatigue
As opposed to earlier antihistamines, Azelastine does not cause fatigue. On the
contrary: Azelastine increases alertness in patients with allergic rhinitis by
treating the actual cause of the disease itself[11]. Azelastine is applied
locally, meaning where the actual allergic reaction occurs and symptoms appear.
Other parts of the body only receive a small amount of the active agent. This is
why side effects occur only rarely, even more rarely than for other therapies
with oral antihistamines or nasal corticoids[12],[13]. Azelastine nasal spray
and eye drops are also well tolerated for long-term use (even for children:
nasal spray from 12 years, eye drops from 4 years old)[14],[15],[16].
Effective against various types of allergic rhinitis
Both seasonal and perennial (permanent) allergic rhinitis are relieved with
Azelastine. Azelastine is also the only anti-allergic medication approved for
use against vasomotoric rhinitis, inflammation of nasal mucous membranes not
caused by a virus or bacteria[12],[17].
Reliable effect
Azelastine even works for patients for whom antihistamines in tablet form or
corticosteroids in spray form have not brought the desired relief (non-
responders)[18]. Azelastine thus makes it unnecessary to step-up treatment to
the point of requiring use of both an oral antihistamine and an intra-nasal
corticosteroid.
More than just an anti-allergic effect
Allergic rhinitis is a complex disorder in which a number of different cells in
the human immune system and mediators take part. Most antihistamines only have
an anti-allergic effect meaning they only work to counteract the histamine H1
receptors. Azelastine does more: It also has an anti-inflammatory effect. This
specifically prevents troublesome nasal obstruction and furthermore stabilizes
the membranes of mastocytes, thus preventing the output of other substances that
take part in creating the allergic reaction[19-23].
Azelastine improves the quality of life
Azelastine can eliminate all symptoms of allergic rhinitis and accompanying
conjunctivitis quickly and for a longer time. It can be used only when needed.
Also, Azelastine has only few side effects. Therefore, when pursuing daily
activities sufferers are impaired neither by their allergic symptoms nor by the
therapy for it. The quality of sleep also improves with Azelastine[14],[16].
Treatment using Azelastine thus represents a decisive factor for improving the
quality of life for hay fever patients.
* ARIA: international initiative on Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma
1 Bousquet et al, (in cooperation with ARIA), Eur J Allergy Clin Immunol
2008; 63 (Suppl 86): 8-160.
http://www.whiar.org
2 Patel et al, Am J Rhinol 2007, 21: 499-503
3 Behncke et al, Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2006
4 Baumgarten CR et al, J Pharmacol Ther 1994; 3:43-51
5 Friedlaender MH et al, Opthalmology 2000, 107:2152-7
6 Patel P et al, Am J Rhinol 2007, 21: 499-503
7 Horak F et al, Curr Med Res Opin2006, 22:151-7
8 Greiff L et al, Clin Exp Allergy 1997, 27:438-444
9 Secchi et al, Internal Report MEDA GmbH & Co. KG, A-05610/8800000131 (2966),
1996.
10 Ciprandi et al, J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997a; 99: 301-307
11 Spaeth J et al, Allergy 1996,51:893-906
12 LaForce et al, Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2004, 93: 154-9
13 Ratner PH et al, J Allergy Clin Immunol 1994, 94:818-825
14 Golden S et al, Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2000, 85:53-57
15 Grossman J et al, Ann Allergy 1994, 73:141-146
16 Gastpar H et al, Arzneimittelforschung 1993, 43:771-776
17 Lieberman et al, Curr Med Res Opin 2005; 21:611-618
18 Berger WE et al, Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2003, 91: 205-11
19 McTavish D, Sorkin EM, Drugs 1989, 38 :778-800
20 Ciprandi G et al., J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1996, 98 :1088-1096
21 Kampuraj D et al., Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002, 88:501-506
22 Horak F, Zieglmayer UP 2009, Clin Immunol 5(6): 659-69
23 Gehanno P et al, ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec 2001, 63:76-81
6739 characters (including spaces and title, but not additional information).
Reprint free of charge, copy of publication requested.
Further information:
www.azelastine.info
www.meda.se
Results of the international survey on treating allergic rhinitis
* http://www.azelastine.info/wms/azelastine/azelastine/profil/poll
* Goal: What properties of the antihistamine Azelastine are most beneficial to
patients in their daily lives?
* Valuation of existing properties using a scale of 1 (unimportant) to 10
(very important)
* Properties that could be evaluated: rapid relief of symptoms, flexible use
when needed, improvement in quality of life, steroid-free with the same good
effect of steroids, effective for non-responders
* Results:
The improvement in the quality of life received an average weighting of
7.45, followed by rapid relief of symptoms with an average value of 7.23.
Improvement in the quality of life achieved the highest value most
frequently of all responses with 63,91% of all values given (in the range of
9 to 10).
All above-mentioned properties achieved average values of at least 6.7 and
are thus all viewed by all respondents as important.
Screen saver shower of blossoms:
Those suffering from allergies can now rejoice in a shower of blossoms without
any symptoms. A free screen saver can be downloaded free of charge at the
Azelastine Internet portal http://www.azelastine.info showing images of blossoms
- in spite of the allergy-causing pollen they have.
Contact for press:
Cramer-Gesundheits-Consulting GmbH
Dr. Sibylle Bergmann-Matz and Andrea Holst
PF 1107 PF 1107
65741 Eschborn 65741 Eschborn
Germany Germany
Fax: +49 (0)6196 - 7766 - 216 Fax: +49 (0)6196 - 7766 - 216
Email: bergmann(at)cgc-pr.com Email: holst(at)cgc-pr.com
For medical questions:
Dr. Larisa Leibersperger
MEDA Pharma GmbH & Co. KG
Benzstrasse 1
61352 Bad Homburg
Germany
Tel.: +49 6172 888 2631
Email: larisa.leibersperger(at)medapharma.de
MEDA AB (publ) is a leading international specialty pharmaceutical company.
Meda's products are distributed worldwide in 120 countries and the company is
represented with its own branches in more than 40 countries. Meda shares are
listed on the Large Cap Nasdaq OMX Nordic Stock Exchange in Stockholm. For
further information visit us at www.meda.se.
MEDA Pharma GmbH & Co. KG
HEadquarters: Bad Homburg v.d.H.
Municipal court: Bad Homburg v.d.H.; HRA 4628
Personally liable partner: MEDA Verwaltungs GmbH Amtsgericht Bad Homburg v.d.H.;
HRB 9810
Managing Directors: Dr. Jörg-Thomas Dierks, Hans-Jürgen Kromp
--- End of Message ---
CGC
Rathauspaltz 12 - 14 Eschborn Germany
PRESS RELEASE:
http://hugin.info/138310/R/1508469/443302.pdf
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: CGC via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1508469]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 26.04.2011 - 12:02 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 53862
Anzahl Zeichen: 13317
contact information:
Town:
Eschborn
Kategorie:
Business News
Diese Pressemitteilung wurde bisher 350 mal aufgerufen.
Die Pressemitteilung mit dem Titel:
"MEDA/Online survey on treating allergic rhinitis: Patients mostly want to improve their quality of life"
steht unter der journalistisch-redaktionellen Verantwortung von
CGC (Nachricht senden)
Beachten Sie bitte die weiteren Informationen zum Haftungsauschluß (gemäß TMG - TeleMedianGesetz) und dem Datenschutz (gemäß der DSGVO).
