The present study evaluated the efficacy/safety of bilastine in pruritus relief in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) or other pruritic skin diseases.

It included 115 adults with CSU (n = 34), eczema/dermatitis (n = 30), prurigo (n = 25), or cutaneous pruritus (n = 26), who received bilastine 20 mg once daily for eight weeks, while non-responders (<30% improvement in pruritus score at week 2), received 40 mg/day from week 2.

The study observed-

• Reduction in the mean change in weekly pruritus severity score from baseline to week 8 (primary endpoint) with bilastine (overall and by disease group), with overall, percentage, and absolute reductions as 71.16% and 1.63 points, respectively.
• Improvement in weekly pruritus severity scores from baseline to week 8 in updosed non-responders (n = 31), with percentage and absolute reductions as 49.08% and 1.13 points, respectively.
• Improvement in the Dermatology Life Quality Index at weeks 4 and 8 with Bilastine in all disease groups and the 7-day Urticaria Activity Score in CSU patients.
• Well tolerance of Bilastine.

This study shows that Bilastine relieves pruritus associated with urticaria and other skin diseases, with a very good safety profile.

Serra E, Campo C, Novák Z, et al. Efficacy and safety of bilastine in reducing pruritus in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria and other skin diseases: an exploratory study. Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 2020;31(3):270-278. DOI: 10.1080/09546634.2019.1590522