Intranasal therapy with once-daily triamcinolone acetonide aerosol versus twice-daily beclomethasone dipropionate aqueous spray in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis

A single-masked, randomized, controlled, multicenter, parallel-group study compared the efficacy, tolerability, and specific treatment-related side effects of 4 weeks of intranasal therapy with 220-mu g once-daily triamcinolone acetonide aerosol versus 168-mu g twice-daily beclomethasone dipropionate aqueous spray in 313 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Both treatments produced similar improvement in rhinitis symptoms (nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, postnasal drip, sneezing, and nasal itching) and in mean total nasal symptom scores. There were no clinically or statistically significant between-group differences in physician global evaluation of symptom relief or in the number of patients who withdrew prematurely from the study because of insufficient therapeutic effect. The onset of action during the first week of therapy was comparable for the two treatments. The frequency of two specific treatment-related complaints-medication running down the throat and medication running out of the nose-was statistically significantly less with triamcinolone acetonide than with beclomethasone dipropionate. The severity of these two complaints, plus one other-bad medication taste-was statistically significantly greater with beclomethasone dipropionate. The frequency of drug-related adverse events was similar in the two treatment groups. The results of this trial indicate that triamcinolone acetonide, 220 mu g once daily, is comparable to beclomethasone dipropionate, 168 mu g twice daily, in relieving the nasal symptoms of perennial allergic rhinitis. Both treatments were well tolerated, although some specific treatment-related events were significantly more frequent and severe in the beclomethasone dipropionate aqueous spray group than In the triamcinolone acetonide aerosol group.