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Desloratadine

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Abstract

  • ▴ Desloratadine is the orally active major metabolite of the nonsedating H1-antihistamine loratadine.

  • ▴ The drug had no adverse cardiovascular effects in various animal models or when administered at 9 times the recommended adult dosage for 10 days in volunteers. Therapeutic dosages had no effects on wakefulness or psychomotor performance in healthy volunteers.

  • ▴ No clinically significant interactions have been reported between desloratadine and drugs that inhibit the cytochrome P450 system, nor does the drug potentiate the adverse psychomotor effects of alcohol.

  • ▴ Oral desloratadine 5mg once daily for up to 4 weeks in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) significantly reduced nasal (including congestion) and non-nasal symptoms and improved health-related quality of life compared with placebo. Similar beneficial effects were observed in patients with SAR and coexisting asthma (in whom asthma symptoms and use of β2-agonists were reduced).

  • ▴ Desloratadine 5mg once daily for 6 weeks significantly improved pruritus and reduced the number of hives compared with placebo in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Sleep and daytime performance also improved.

  • ▴ Desloratadine was well tolerated in clinical trials and had an adverse event profile similar to that of placebo in patients with SAR (with or without asthma) or CIU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Adis International Limited, 41 Centorian Drive, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 10, New Zealand

    Karen McClellan & Blair Jarvis

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  1. Karen McClellan
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  2. Blair Jarvis
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Correspondence to Karen McClellan.

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McClellan, K., Jarvis, B. Desloratadine. Drugs 61, 789–796 (2001). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200161060-00007

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200161060-00007

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