The added benefit of local Patanol therapy when combined with systemic Claritin for the inhibition of ocular itching in the conjunctival antigen challenge model.

BACKGROUND

Allergic conjunctivitis very often occurs simultaneously with rhinitis in seasonal allergy sufferers. While systemic anti-allergic and antihistaminic agents are effective against many signs and symptoms of allergy, they may not adequately control ocular signs and symptoms in patients with multiple target organ hypersensitivity. Patanol (olopatadine hydrochloride 0.1% ophthalmic solution, Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX), a new effective anti-allergic mast cell stabilizer with antihistaminic properties, is approved for the prevention of ocular itching due to allergic conjunctivitis.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether Patanol in combination with the systemic antihistamine Claritin (loratadine, Schering, Kenilworth, NJ) reduces the ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis more effectively than Claritin alone. A topical ocular antigen challenge induced the allergic conjunctivitis in 15 subjects.

METHODS

This was a randomized, double-masked study in which the contralateral eye served as the control. On Visit 1, an allergen dose which elicited response scores > 2 for ocular itching was identified. Itching was graded by the subject using a 0 to 4 point scale. At Visit 2, the threshold allergen concentration was confirmed. At Visit 3, the onset of action challenge, in addition to Claritin (10 mg tablet), each subject received Patanol in one eye and placebo in the fellow eye in a randomized, double-masked fashion. Allergen was instilled one hour after dosing, and ocular itching was graded at 3, 7, 10 and 20 minutes after challenge. At Visit 4, the duration of action challenge, the same drug regimen was followed as in Visit 3. However, allergen challenge was performed eight hours after dosing, and itching graded after 3, 7, 10 and 20 minutes.

RESULTS

Patient eyes treated with Patanol were significantly less itchy than those treated with systemic Claritin alone at critical time points 3, 7, and 10 minutes after the onset of action challenge (p < 0.05), and at 3 and 7 minutes after the duration of action challenge (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The addition of topical Patanol to systemic Claritin therapy significantly reduced ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis compared to treatment with Claritin alone. These findings prove the added benefit of local Patanol therapy in the treatment of ocular allergic symptoms in patients receiving systemic antihistamines for concomitant systemic allergies.