A survey of more than 1,500 allergic rhinitis sufferers who have used a prescription nasal spray showed that patients discontinue their treatment due to discomfort when using the spray device.

Survey respondents indicated that medication running down their throats or out of their noses was the primary reason for stopping treatment (62 percent). Other reasons for stopping treatment cited by nasal spray users included the bitter taste left by nasal sprays (44 percent), failure to provide 24-hour relief (35 percent), uncertainty about the amount of medication received in each spray (32 percent) and lack of clarity regarding when to refill their prescriptions (31 percent).

Hopefully, drug manufacturers take these into consideration when designing new methods of drug delivery. This is especially important as nasal sprays are becoming the first line of treatment for clogged nasal passages due to allergic rhinitis and other nasal allergies.