The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved once-daily Veramyst? (fluticasone furoate) Nasal Spray to treat seasonal and year-round allergy symptoms in adults and children two years of age and older. Veramyst will be available by prescription nationwide by late May 2007.
In clinical trials, Veramyst relieved overall nasal symptoms of seasonal and year-round allergies, which included nasal congestion, sneezing, itchy nose and runny nose. In addition, Veramyst is the first prescription nasal steroid spray to demonstrate consistent and significant improvement in relieving overall allergic eye symptoms, which included red, itchy and watery eyes, in patients with seasonal allergies 12 years of age and older in three prospectively designed studies.
Veramyst is delivered in a unique, ergonomically designed device that was developed to address patient concerns. Veramyst has a side-actuated ?mist release? button that, when pressed, delivers the same amount of medicine every time ? an important feature for patients who want to know they are getting the full dose that their doctor has prescribed. The device delivers a gentle, scent-free mist with a low volume of spray. The new device also has a viewing window that allows patients to see how much medicine is left.
?Nasal allergies often affect both the nose and the eyes,? said Robert Nathan, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Department of Internal Medicine, and principal investigator of a Phase III study of Veramyst. ?Besides relieving a broad range of nasal allergy symptoms, Veramyst may also help relieve red, itchy and watery eyes in seasonal allergy patients 12 years and older. I?m excited about sharing this new option with my patients.?
Veramyst is an intranasal corticosteroid (INS) that works throughout the allergy process to block an entire range of the chemicals in the body that are involved in inflammation that may lead to nasal allergy symptoms. However, the precise mechanism through which Veramyst affects allergy symptoms is not known.