Bousquet J, Toumi M, Sousa-Pinto B, et al.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract . 2022 Aug 4;S2213-2198(22)00749-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.07.020. Online ahead of print.
Allergic rhinitis has a lifetime prevalence of up to 50% in some countries. This constitutes a high burden in social, school and work life. The aim of this report is to demonstrate that Value-Added Medicines such as the use of on-demand (PRN) nasal sprays may be enough to manage allergic rhinitis.
Value-Added Medicines consists of the research of existing medicines for new therapeutic purposes.
Current treatment for allergic rhinitis consists in continuous long-term treatments after clinical trials carried for at least 14 days with over 70% adherence. A new format to treat allergic rhinitis could be using on demand treatments according to symptoms, instead of the continuous treatment.
Real-world data found that 90% of the patients increase their medications to control symptoms during the pollen season, including oral H1-antihistamines, which is not in line with the recommendations.
As most patients who request for a primary care appointment have uncontrolled symptoms, they don’t follow the long-term prescription and self-medicate.
In conclusion, real-life data indicates that patients prefer on-demand treatment instead of continuous and this should be reflected in the upcoming orientations: individualized treatment according to symptom profile, severity, and duration, along with the patient’s preference for oral or intranasal administration.
