Abdelshafy AM, Abdallah SY, Hassan AF, Mohamed HA, Kamal NM, Ali ST, Abdelhaleem IA
Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2022 May 20:19458924221097449. doi: 10.1177/19458924221097449. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35593100
Allergic diseases are immunological reactions with symptoms that may impact quality of life. Bilastine, is a novel oral second-generation H-1 antihistamine, with high selectivity to H1 receptors and with anti-inflammatory properties, however there is not enough evidence regarding the drug efficacy.
The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of bilastine compared with placebo and other active antihistamines in patients with allergic rhinitis or chronic urticaria.
A literature search was made for randomized controlled trials which assessed bilastine effects on symptomatic hyper histaminic allergic conditions. Data on total symptoms scores (TSS), total nasal symptom scores (TNSS), discomfort associated with these allergic conditions measured by visual analog score (VAS), and quality of life (QoL) for allergic rhinitis and urticaria was collected. Other outcomes such as clinical global impression and safety profiles were reported. The studies were statistically analysed.
The analysis included 9 randomized controlled trials which included 3801 participants. The meta-analysis shown that bilastine was superior to placebo, improving TSS, TNSS, VAS, and QoL in participants with allergic rhinitis or chronic urticaria. Furthermore, bilastine was comparable to other antihistamines such as cetirizine, fexofenadine, and loratadine regarding these outcomes, with a safe and tolerable profile and with no difference in the incidence of adverse events.
In conclusion, bilastine improved TSS in hyper histaminic allergic conditions involving nasal symptoms in allergic rhinitis with a safe and effective manner. It decreased the discomfort associated with the condition resulting in better QoL of the participants.
