Singulair effective as allergy treatment

Merck & Co's leukotriene antagonist Singulair (montelukast) has beenfound to be an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis in two studies presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting. However, the combination of Singulair with Schering-Plough's antihistamine Claritin (loratadine) was not significantly better than either drug used alone. Merck and S-P announced a joint venture to develop a combination tablet based on the two drugs last year (Marketletter May 29, 2000).

Robert Hazlett, an analyst at Robertson Stephens, noted that additional trials are ongoing, but it remains to be seen whether there is any mileage in developing a combination product based on the two drugs.

Singulair was originally launched in 1998 for asthma and achieved sales of $860 million last year, a rise of 72% on the previous year.