Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
. 1988 Nov;26(5):515–525. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1988.tb05291.x

A study of the clinical efficacy of azelastine in patients with extrinsic asthma, and its effect on airway responsiveness.

C A Gould 1, S Ollier 1, R Aurich 1, R J Davies 1
PMCID: PMC1386628  PMID: 2905153

Abstract

1. The effect of 4.4 mg azelastine administered orally on airway responsiveness, skin prick testing, daily peak expiratory flow rates and symptoms of asthma was compared with placebo in a 7 week double-blind, parallel group study of 24 patients with extrinsic asthma. The study was in two parts: a 2 week assessment period, during which all patients received placebo tablets but recorded daily peak flow rates (PEFRs) and symptoms, preceding the 7 week double-blind comparison. 2. Azelastine, 4.4 mg, significantly decreased airway responsiveness to histamine compared with placebo both after a single dose (P less than 0.001), and following 7 weeks continuous treatment (P less than 0.02). Airway responsiveness to methacholine was not altered by administration of azelastine compared with placebo. 3. Skin prick test weal diameters to both allergen and histamine were significantly reduced after both a single dose and following 7 weeks continuous therapy treatment with azelastine. 4. There was a significant improvement in both the mean of the morning and the evening peak flow rates recorded during the last week compared with the first week of the study in the group receiving 4.4 mg of azelastine twice daily compared with placebo. Scores for wheeze were significantly reduced during the final 3 weeks of the study in patients receiving azelastine compared both with those receiving placebo and with the first week of the study (P less than 0.05, P less than 0.01). Consumption of inhaled bronchodilators fell significantly during the study in the group receiving azelastine therapy (P less than 0.05); no such fall occurred in the placebo treated patients. 5. A bitter metallic taste was reported by 58% of patients who received azelastine therapy.

Full text

PDF
515

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Boushey H. A., Holtzman M. J., Sheller J. R., Nadel J. A. Bronchial hyperreactivity. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1980 Feb;121(2):389–413. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1980.121.2.389. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chand N., Pillar J., Diamantis W., Perhach J. L., Jr, Sofia R. D. Inhibition of calcium ionophore (A23187)-stimulated histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells by azelastine: implications for its mode of action. Eur J Pharmacol. 1983 Dec 23;96(3-4):227–233. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(83)90311-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cockcroft D. W., Killian D. N., Mellon J. J., Hargreave F. E. Bronchial reactivity to inhaled histamine: a method and clinical survey. Clin Allergy. 1977 May;7(3):235–243. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1977.tb01448.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Easton J. G. Effect of an inhaled corticosteroid on methacholine airway reactivity. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1981 May;67(5):388–390. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(81)90084-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fields D. A., Pillar J., Diamantis W., Perhach J. L., Jr, Sofia R. D., Chand N. Inhibition by azelastine of nonallergic histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1984 Mar;73(3):400–403. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(84)90415-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Holgate S. T., Emanuel M. B., Howarth P. H. Astemizole and other H1-antihistaminic drug treatment of asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1985 Aug;76(2 Pt 2):375–380. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(85)90657-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Juniper E. F., Frith P. A., Hargreave F. E. Airway responsiveness to histamine and methacholine: relationship to minimum treatment to control symptoms of asthma. Thorax. 1981 Aug;36(8):575–579. doi: 10.1136/thx.36.8.575. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Karlin J. M. The use of antihistamines in asthma. Ann Allergy. 1972 Jun;30(6):342–347. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Makino S. Clinical significance of bronchial sensitivity to acetylcholine and histamine in bronchial asthma. J Allergy. 1966 Sep;38(3):127–142. doi: 10.1016/0021-8707(66)90036-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Muittari A., Ahonen A., Kellomäki L., Kuusisto P., Lehtinen J., Veneskoski T. The effect of ICI 74,917 on asthma and bronchial provocation tests. Clin Allergy. 1978 May;8(3):281–288. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1978.tb03225.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Murray A. B., Ferguson A. C., Morrison B. Airway responsiveness to histamine as a test for overall severity of asthma in children. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1981 Aug;68(2):119–124. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(81)90169-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. O'Byrne P. M., Ryan G., Morris M., McCormack D., Jones N. L., Morse J. L., Hargreave F. E. Asthma induced by cold air and its relation to nonspecific bronchial responsiveness to methacholine. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982 Mar;125(3):281–285. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1982.125.3.281. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ollier S., Gould C. A., Davies R. J. The effect of single and multiple dose therapy with azelastine on the immediate asthmatic response to allergen provocation testing. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1986 Aug;78(2):358–364. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(86)80090-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rafferty P., Beasley R., Southgate P., Holgate S. The role of histamine in allergen and adenosine-induced bronchoconstriction. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1987;82(3-4):292–294. doi: 10.1159/000234210. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Sorkin E. M., Heel R. C. Terfenadine. A review of its pharmacodynamic properties and therapeutic efficacy. Drugs. 1985 Jan;29(1):34–56. doi: 10.2165/00003495-198529010-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Spector S. L., Perhach J. L., Rohr A. S., Rachelefsky G. S., Katz R. M., Siegel S. C. Pharmacodynamic evaluation of azelastine in subjects with asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1987 Jul;80(1):75–80. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(87)80194-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Taytard A., Beaumont D., Pujet J. C., Sapene M., Lewis P. J. Treatment of bronchial asthma with terfenadine; a randomized controlled trial. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1987 Dec;24(6):743–746. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1987.tb03240.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Zechel H. J., Brock N., Lenke D., Achterrath-Tuckermann U. Pharmacological and toxicological properties of azelastine, a novel antiallergic agent. Arzneimittelforschung. 1981;31(8):1184–1193. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES