Comparative analysis of efficacy and safety of Bilastine 20 mg and Levocetirizine 5 mg in the treatment of Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis

Objective: The present study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of bilastine 20 mgand compare the results with that of levocetirizine 5 mg in the treatment of allergicrhinoconjunctivitis. Material and Methods: It was a prospective study conducted in theDepartment of Ophthalmology and Department of Otorhinolaryngology at a tertiary institute ofsouthern Rajasthan, India during the period of 6 months from September 2019 to February 2020.100 patients of chronic allergic rhinoconjunctivitis were included in the study, of which 50 weretreated with Bilastine 20 mg, and the rest 50 patients were treated with levocetirizine 5 mg. Theprimary assessment was done by calculating the total symptom score (TSS) before and after the 7thand 14th post-treatment day. Results: The age of the patients ranges from 10 years to 65 yearswith a mean age of 32±5.2 years. The primary efficacy parameter for assessment was a reduction intotal symptom score (TSS). Both bilastine 20 mg and levocetirizine 5 mg significantly reduced theTSS on the 7th and 14th post-treatment days (p-value< 0.001). There was no significant differencebetween TSS of bilastine and levocetirizine after 7 days (p-value= 0.41) and after 14 days treatment(p-value= 0.68). Adverse events were reported by 10% of patients in the bilastine group and by38% of patients in the levocetirizine group. Conclusion: Bilastine is a selective H1 antihistaminewith good efficacy and excellent safety profile and it is highly recommended to use it as a first-linetreatment for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.