On May 1st, the FDA approved a new seasonal allergy nasal spray, Dymista, for use in the U.S. Manufactured by Swedish pharmaceutical company Meda, Dymista is for children over the age of 12 and adults. It will be available by prescription only. As a treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis, this new hay fever drug is a ‘combination drug’, meaning it combines both azelastine hydrochloride and fluticasone propionate.

_Azelastine hydrochloride is an antihistamine currently being used to treat rhinitis and seasonal conjuctivitis and is the active ingredient in Asteplin and Astepro, both products in the Meda line of allergy products. Fluticasone propionate is an anti-inflammatory found in Flonase.

_Dymista is expected to roll out in the U.S. in the latter part of 2012. It claims better efficacy than drugs that contain either of the active ingredients alone. In clinical trials, there were no instances of nasal ulceration or septal perforation (reported side effects of some nasal corticosteroids). In three double blind trials conducted by the FDA, Dymista was shown to be an effective treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis. Click here for a full transcript of the FDA clinical trial results for Dymista.

_Meda, Sweden's largest publicly traded pharma company, is based in Solna, and sells products in 120 countries. As one of the 50 largest pharmaceutical companies worldwide, Meda's sales exceed $1.6 billion annually.

_Follow these links for more information on seasonal allergies or to see non-pharmaceutical allergy control products.

_Author: Kevin Gilmore