Allergy Relief

The popular allergy relief drug, Clarinex, will soon be available in a generic form. The active ingredient in Clarinex, desloratadine, has received FDA approval and is now offered in 5mg doses under the Mylan Pharmaceuticals label.

Desloratadine is an antihistimine prescribed to allergy sufferers to relief runny nose, red, itchy and tearing eyes as well as other hay fever and allergic rhinitis symptoms. Currently, desloratadine is only available as Clarinex, but with the introduction of this new generic, allergy sufferers will soon have a less expensive alternative to turn to when seeking allergy relief medication.

Clarinex, available as a tablet and oral solution, has been prescribed to millions of allergy sufferers worldwide, with sales reaching nearly $200,000,000 last year.

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

In an effort to reduce waste and needless testing in healthcare, "Choose Wisely" is a public health initiative recently launched by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Using "top five" lists, the "Choose Wisely" series presents some of the most over used and least helpful medical tests and procedures found in the healthcare field. As the first in this series, "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" was released late last weekend and focuses on the areas of asthma, allergies and other immune system disorders.

From this initial list, the top two items were to avoid using IgG or battery of IgE tests as the primary basis for diagnosing an allergy, and to stop prescribing antibiotics for uncomplicated acute rhinosinusitis. These two things touch issues we've highlighted in recent months.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests alone are not accurate in determining an allergy, and overreliance on these tests can often lead to false positives. They are convenient, easy, and give you answers, but unfortunately, those answers aren't always accurate. Instead of general testing, the "Choose Wisely" top-five suggests a doctor take into account the patients history and physical exam records, then administer a specific IgE test based on these factors. Combined, these three pieces form a more complete picture of the puzzle and can dramatically reduce the occurrence of false positives in allergy testing.

Over prescription of antibiotics for sinusitis is something we touched recently with this post. For quite some time it has been the theory that not only are they ineffective in most cases, but overuse, in general, in directly leading to their ineffectiveness against modern germs. Most acute sinus infections are viral in nature, and like we learned in high school biology, antibiotics are ineffective against viruses. Additionally, most viral sinus infections run their course in a couple weeks.

In all, there are five recommendations put forth that deal with allergies, asthma or immune disorders. You can find the full list here. We encourage anyone who suffers from allergies, asthma or related disorder to take a look and see if any apply to you. Then the next time you visit your allergist, ENT or doctor, discuss them and see if there are ways to curb certain tests or treatments which may not offer much benefit.

This weekend folks from around the metro area visited the Cobb Galleria to see some of the latest products and technologies from local and national companies offered at the Atlanta Home Show. AchooAllergy had a booth and showcased not only our allergy bedding but also Dyson vacuums, and our new Allergy Armor memory foam products.

The memory foam pillows as well as the new Dyson canister and Ball uprights were hot items. The Allergy Armor memory foam pillow is contoured to support the head and neck, and includes a free Ultra pillow cover. So not only is the foam dust mite resistant, the cover keeps out dust mites and other allergens and is treated with a permanent antimicrobial finish.

As one of the newest additions to Dyson's line of vacuums, the DC41 Animal features some of the best innovations that Dyson has to offer. Not only does it include staples like the Ball and Root Cyclone technology, but it features a new streamlined designed, lighter weight and self-adjusting head. So as you move from surface to surface, the powerhead adjusts to optimal height.

Overall, it was a great weekend! Achoo staffers got to interact with a wide variety of people and offer the local Atlanta community allergy relief products and information during this busy allergy season.

There have been countless studies done on how certain issues like lack of sleep, and even problems at home, can affect children and their performance in school. More recently, individual states and cities have been taking this a step further and have examined the link between poor indoor air quality and increased instances of hospitalization due to asthma.

Studies like this are important for two reasons. First, they highlight how building maintenance and cleaning procedures (or lack thereof) can impact students vis-à-vis indoor air quality issues (IAQ). Secondly, they illustrate the link between increased instances of asthma and how this can affect students' academic performance.

In this New York State Department of Health study, even school districts with Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) programs in place found that there were still environmental allergy triggers and conditions present.

As some of the largest respiratory irritants, dust or dust reservoirs were reported in 99% of schools. Additionally, 84% reported mold or moisture issues, and nearly half (42%) reported possible exposure to diesel fumes and exhaust (usually from idling school buses).

A recent CNN article highlights that these conditions are often exacerbated by a poor economy. With today's slimmer budgets, renovation, upkeep, and the construction of new buildings are often an afterthought. Unfortunately, a possible consequence of this can be a slow but steady increase in the rates of allergies and asthma – both of which can negatively impact a child's educational experience.

These problems are not just confined to students. Surveys of some of the nation's largest school systems have shown as many as 30% of teachers reporting health issues or sickness related to the school environment.

With 7 million children currently diagnosed with asthma¹ and approximately 8.5 million who have suffered from respiratory allergies in the last year, the impact of poor IAQ in our schools is no small matter.

Aside from dealing with these issues on an individual level, either with OTC antihistamines or non-pharmaceutical allergy relief methods, there are some excellent CDC resources as well as helpful tips and guides that can be useful in highlighting this situation and helping improve conditions in your local schools.

¹CDC Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Children – December 2011