Comparative study of acute effects of single doses of fexofenadine, olopatadine, d-chlorpheniramine and placebo on psychomotor function in healthy volunteers.

Author(s): Kamei H, Noda Y, Ishikawa K, Senzaki K, Muraoka I, Hasegawa Y, Hindmarch I, Nabeshima T

Affiliation(s): Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan.

Publication date & source: 2003-12, Hum Psychopharmacol., 18(8):611-8.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

Since most classical (first-generation) antihistamines have undesirable sedative effects on the central nervous system (CNS), newer (second-generation) antihistamines have been developed to relieve the sedative effects and to improve the patient's quality of life. However, the psychomotor profiles of second-generation antihistamines are not fully elucidated. In this randomized, double-blind, crossover study, the acute effects of single doses of second-generation antihistamines, fexofenadine (120 mg) and olopatadine (10 mg), on cognitive and psychomotor performance were investigated in comparison with those of placebo and d-chlorpheniramine (4 mg), a first-generation antihistamine, using objective and subjective assessments, in 11 healthy Japanese volunteers. In a battery of psychomotor tests, d-chlorpheniramine impaired tracking ability in the compensatory tracking task and caused a reduction in behavioural activity as continuously measured by wrist actigraphy. Olopatadine, like d-chlorpheniramine, reduced the behavioural activity, while fexofenadine had no effect in any of the tests. No significant changes in the subjects' self-ratings of drowsiness were found with the three antihistamines. These results suggest that d-chlorpheniramine and olopatadine, but not fexofenadine, produce sedative effects on psychomotor performance, and that the CNS profile of fexofenadine is different from that of olopatadine. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.