Synopsis of Symposium by our esteemed speakers:

Allergic Rhinitis in Southeast Asia (Singapore): Prevalence, Burden, Management
Allergic rhinitis is a common condition in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, with a considerable symptomatic and socioeconomic burden. Allergic rhinitis sufferers report sleep disturbance, as well as a negative impairment of their quality of life and school/work productivity. Through identification of disease impact, clinicians may better understand allergic rhinitis and how to treat it.

Allergic Rhinitis: Unmet Need and Current Therapies
Allergic rhinitis remains under-diagnosed, under-estimated and under-treated. Most patients treat their symptoms with over the counter medications. Multi-medication use is common in an effort to achieve faster and more complete symptom relief. Many patients remain symptomatic on current treatment, and are unsurprisingly dissatisfied with it. There is a clear unmet need for allergic rhinitis medications which provide rapid, clinically-relevant and sustained allergic rhinitis control.

A New Class of Allergic Rhinitis Medication Approved by HSA
A new class of allergic rhinitis medication, comprising a corticosteroid (i.e. fluticasone propionate) and an anti-histamine (i.e. azelastine) in a single nasal spray was launched in this symposium. Results from its large clinical development programme have positioned the medication as the drug of choice for allergic rhinitis. It has a rapid onset of action (in minutes), is twice as effective as an intranasal corticosteroid, provides more complete symptom control, targets both nasal and ocular symptoms, when used both short- and long-term.