The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics
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1401
In Brief: Two Intranasal Corticosteroid HFA Aerosols for Allergic Rhinitis (online only)
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Med Lett Drugs Ther. 2012 Oct 15;54(1401):84
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 Select a term to see related articles  Allergic rhinitis   Beclomethasone dipropionate   Beconase AQ   ciclesonide   Omnaris   Qnasl   Zetonna 

The FDA has approved 2 intranasal HFA (hydrofluoroalkane) aerosols of the corticosteroids beclomethasone dipropionate (Qnasl – Teva Respiratory) and ciclesonide (Zetonna – Sunovion) for once-daily treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis. They are the first HFA nasal steroids to become available in the US (HFA propellants do not deplete the ozone layer). Both drugs are already available for these indications as aqueous nasal sprays. Aqueous ("wet") formulations can cause adverse effects such as postnasal drip, moist feeling in the nose, strong odor, and bitter aftertaste, which could reduce patient compliance and may lead to discontinuation of the medication; the new pressurized, odorless, non-aqueous ("dry") HFA formulations may be better tolerated.

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