CHICAGO, Il., November 13, 1999 - A higher percentage of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) patients switched to Allegra® (fexofenadine HCl) from Claritin® (loratadine) than vice versa in the spring and fall of 1997 and 1998, according to the results of a study of more than 33,000 patients presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

The findings are based on "Prescribing Patterns of Non-sedating Antihistamines and Daily Dose Differences in a Managed Care Population," a study that evaluated the continuity of allergy treatment by drug and by allergy season (spring, fall 1997- 1998). The retrospective study analyzed data from physicians' claims from 12 United Healthcare health plans.

During the study period, an average of 12.6 percent of patients taking Claritin switched to Allegra versus 10.0 percent of patients who switched from Allegra to Claritin. "Usage data about newer therapies is important for managed care organizations to analyze so they can understand physician and patient preferences," said Lewis Roht, M.D., Director of Drug Surveillance and Epidemiology at Hoechst Marion Roussel.

Other Studies
Other data presented at the ACAAI meeting by Hoechst Marion Roussel included:

• A four-week, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study which showed that Allegra at doses of 20, 60, 120, and 240 mg reduced pruritus and number of wheals scores over a four-week period for the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), also known as hives. The study demonstrated that all doses of Allegra greatly reduced the symptoms compared to placebo (P0.0115). Additionally, patients who received Allegra experienced significantly less interference with sleep and daily activities than patients who received placebo (P0.0014). Twice-daily doses of 60 mg or greater were most effective. Adverse events occurred with similar incidence in all treatment groups, with
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