Bilastine for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria: Consensus statement for Indian patients

Urticaria or hives is a common skin condition that affects population with a lifetime prevalence of up
to 22% and point prevalence of 1%. Antihistamines play a very important role in the treatment of
chronic urticaria. International guidelines recommend second-generation, non-sedating H1-antihistamines
as the first line therapy for management of chronic urticaria. Uncontrolled symptoms in many patients
demand a new antihistamine which offers significant efficacy without or with minimal adverse events
especially sedation. Bilastine, a second generation H1-antihistamine, offers significant benefits over most
antihistamines including once daily dosage, significant efficacy in relieving symptom, minimal risk of
drug to drug interactions and adverse events. This consensus statement is prepared to discuss the role of
bilastine in the management of chronic urticaria among Indian patients. Comprehensive review of published
literature was done to prepare a draft of consensus statement. The draft was circulated to the experts for
their review and comments. Final document was prepared with incorporation of their comments.

Keywords: Bilastine, C hronic urticaria, Consensus statement.