A comparison of acrivastine versus terfenadine and placebo in the treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Patients (n = 56) with a diagnosis of chronic idiopathic urticaria were assessed in a fully randomized, double-blind, crossover study to investigate the efficacy of acrivastine at two doses (8 and 4 mg) versus 60 mg terfenadine and placebo administered three times daily. All three active preparations were found to be effective, and significantly better than placebo, in controlling the signs and symptoms of urticaria. No significant differences were found between the active preparations, although in some cases efficacy trends favoured 8 mg acrivastine and terfenadine over 4 mg acrivastine. No significant differences were noted between the active treatments and placebo with regard to reports of drowsiness.