Patient preferences and sensory comparisons of three intranasal corticosteroids for the treatment of allergic rhinitis

Background: Although they have comparable safety and efficacy profiles, different intranasal corticosteroids possess different sensory/chemical properties that can be easily differentiated by patients, and which may influence their preference and compliance. Objective: We sought to compare patient assessments of sensory attributes of three intranasal corticosteroid sprays: triamcinolone acetonide aqueous (TAA), fluticasone propionate (FP), and mometasone furoate (MF). Methods: In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 95 patients with allergic rhinitis rated 14 sensory items (100-point scales), product preference, and likelihood of compliance with treatment. Results: Immediately after administration, compared with MF, TAA was rated as having significantly better comfort during administration, less irritation, less odor strength, preferred odor, more moistness of nose/throat, milder taste (all P less than or equal to 0.001), and preferred taste (P less than or equal to 0.01). Compared with FP, TAA was rated as having significantly less odor strength, preferred odor (both P less than or equal to 0.001), more moistness of nose/throat (P less than or equal to 0.01), and milder taste (P less than or equal to 0.05). Two minutes after application, TAA was rated as having less aftertaste than FP (P less than or equal to 0.01) or MF (P less than or equal to 0.001), and produced significantly less irritation (FP P less than or equal to 0.05; MF P :5 0.01). Of patients, 54.7% said they would prefer a prescription of TAA over one for MF (24.2%; P = 0.001) or FP (21.1%; P = 0.001). More patients indicated that they would be more compliant with treatment if given the TAA prescription (67.4%) than if given a prescription with FP (54.7%) or MF (49.5%). Conclusion: Several of the TAA sensory attributes were prefer-red over those of MF and FP. Patient preference may play a role in enhancing treatment compliance. Such findings indicate that TAA nasal spray may be a better choice than MF or FP in the treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis.