Pharmacoeconomics of levocetirizine in allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria: considerations for the USA.

Background: Levocetirizine, a recent, second-generation oral antihistamine, was approved by the US FDA in May 2007 to treat symptoms of allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Objective: To review the economic literature for levocetirizine.

Methods: Two reviewers conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify abstracts that met the inclusion criteria. Abstracts that were considered acceptable were retrieved with full text for further assessment.

Results: A total of 82 potential studies were identified. After reviewing abstracts, 11 articles were preselected for potential inclusion. Of the 11 full-text articles, three articles met the inclusion criteria.

Conclusion: The pharmacoeconomic literature for levocetirizine was limited. The findings were consistent across the literature, suggesting levocetirizine improved outcomes, leading to incremental cost savings and cost-effectiveness. Since many of the available levocetirizine data come from European studies, differences in practice patterns and medical resources should be considered when extrapolating data to a US clinical setting.