Methods: Patients who were previously diagnosed by a health care professional with nasal allergies (hay fever, allergic rhinitis or nasal allergies, plus sinus disease in AIAP), exhibited symptoms, and/or had received treatment, were included. Standardized questionnaires provided by Abt SRBI were used; individual questions and methodology varied slightly between regions. In total, around 90,000 households were screened, including responses from 6,081 patients.
Results: The surveys revealed that among patients receiving treatment for nasal allergies, the proportion using a prescription nasal spray varied regionally, from 21% in AIAP to 54% in AIME. Despite a high percentage of patients reporting satisfaction with their prescription nasal spray, many patients who were dissatisfied cited reasons such as lack of effectiveness and lack of 24-hour relief as primary concerns. The percentage of allergy sufferers who experienced a loss of product effectiveness over 24 hours varied regionally from 35% in AILA to 53% in AIAP. Many patients strongly agreed there were no truly effective treatments for nasal allergies, and 10% of all patients in AIA chose to change their medication several times a year. The most commonly reported side effects of prescription medications were dripping down the throat and dryness. Bad taste was also commonly reported, in all regions except North America, where drowsiness was the third most commonly reported side effect. A higher proportion of patients reported side effects with prescription sprays in the Middle East than in any other region surveyed.
Conclusions: There is still an unmet need in treatment of patients with nasal allergies worldwide. A low percentage receives treatment with prescription nasal sprays, despite this form of therapy being considered the ‘gold standard’ of treatments. Patients are bothered by a range of side effects generally different to those reported in drug information leaflets.