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cetirizine (QZYTIR / JDP207 / Quzyttir)

✓ Approved

Hospira Inc · HRH1 · Small Molecule

What is cetirizine?

cetirizine is a small molecule developed by Hospira Inc. It is approved for therapeutic indications via injectable (others) or intramuscular (im) injection or intravenous (iv).

Drug Profile

Brand NamesQZYTIR, JDP207, Quzyttir
CompanyHospira Inc
Drug ClassSmall Molecule
Molecular TargetHRH1
RouteInjectable (Others), Intramuscular (IM) Injection, Intravenous (IV)
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Hospira Inc

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

cetirizine acts on 1 molecular target:

HRH1histamine receptor H1 (HH1R, H1R)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

cetirizine is developed for 1 unique indication across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disordersUrticaria✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedFrontiers in medicine2026-10-13

Vitiligo developing during dupilumab treatment in a child with atopic dermatitis: a case report and literature review.

Yu Peng P, Wei Fenglei F

An 8-year-11-month-old girl with severe atopic dermatitis had previously received treatments including topical hydrocortisone butyrate, pimecrolimus, tacrolimus, hormone ointment encapsulation, and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy. She also took oral antihistamines such as cetirizine and loratadine, but these interventions provided limited relief, and her pruritus persisted. In August 2023, she began dupilumab therapy with a 400 mg subcutaneous loading dose, followed by 200 mg subcutaneous injections every two weeks. Vitiligo developed three months after dupilumab initiation in this child with severe atopic dermatitis and improved with combination therapy while dupilumab was continued. Together with previously published reports, this observation supports a possible temporal association between dupilumab exposure and vitiligo development; however, causality cannot be established from the currently available evidence.

PMID 42865691
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PubMedCureus2026-10-11

Adult-Onset Polymorphic Maculopapular Cutaneous Mastocytosis.

Devine Shane B SB, Alix Veronica V, Mendoza Jun J, Adams Karla K

Cutaneous mastocytosis commonly manifests with maculopapular lesions. In children, the lesions tend to be large and polymorphic, while in adults, they are typically small and monomorphic. Adults who develop cutaneous manifestations are usually found to have systemic mastocytosis (SM).  In this report, we describe the case of a 42-year-old female patient who developed polymorphic hyperpigmented cutaneous lesions scattered over her chest and abdomen. Punch biopsies of two lesions were obtained and demonstrated increased perivascular and interstitial mast cells. Over the following month, she continued to develop 1-5 mm hyperpigmented macular lesions scattered over her arms, associated with intermittent flushing episodes of the face and chest, pruritus, and a positive Darier's sign. She underwent a bone marrow biopsy, which was negative for dense infiltrates of mast cells; immature, atypical, or spindle-shaped mast cells; expression of CD2, CD25, and CD30; and the KIT D816V mutation. Peripheral blood was also negative for the KIT D816V mutation. Her basal tryptase level ranged from 2.9 ng/mL to 4.0 ng/mL, which was within normal limits. Thus, symptomatic treatment with cetirizine and montelukast was initiated.  The overall clinicopathologic correlation, including the heterogeneity of lesions, was most consistent with polymorphic maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis (MPCM). In contrast to the typical adult presentation of monomorphic lesions and associated systemic involvement, this patient presented with polymorphic lesions and did not meet any major or minor criteria for SM. Regular allergy follow-up was indicated to monitor for potential development of systemic involvement over time.  In adult patients presenting with a polymorphic cutaneous macular eruption, it is important to keep MPCM in the differential diagnosis.

PMID 42857598
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PubMedJournal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners2026-10-09

Tebentafusp desensitization in an adult with metastatic uveal melanoma.

Herrera Elisa E, Pappano Emma E, Fayngor Rochelle R, Hahn Eugenia E et al.

IntroductionMetastasis occurs in almost 50% of patients with uveal melanoma. In patients who are HLA-A*02:01 positive, first line treatment is the Immune mobilizing monoclonal T cell receptor Against Cancer (ImmTAC), tebentafusp, which increases overall survival significantly at one year compared to single-agent immunotherapy or chemotherapy. Hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) to cancer therapeutics are well established. When these therapies offer significant benefits over alternatives, drug desensitization protocols are utilized to improve clinical outcomes in those with suspected IgE-mediated HSRs.Case reportWe present a case of an individual with metastatic uveal melanoma who suffered an anaphylactic HSR to tebentafusp. Given the lack of available ImmTAC therapeutic desensitization protocols, this report's purpose was to create a tebentafusp desensitization protocol based on accepted desensitization protocols for other chemotherapeutic drugs.Management and outcomeThe desensitization procedure consisted of pretreatment with cetirizine, famotidine, diphenhydramine, methylprednisolone, and acetaminophen prior to infusion. Infusions were each given as two diluted infusions limited to 100 mL of reconstitution volume, with cumulative quantities equivalent to standard treatment regimen dosages. Drug was given over no longer than four hours per manufacturer's recommendations. A total of three cycles of three weekly infusions were completed. The patient had no anaphylaxis recurrence. Tebentafusp treatment was withheld after the third cycle due to disease progression.DiscussionFor patients with HLA-A*02:01 positive metastatic uveal melanoma with suspected IgE-mediated HSR to tebentafusp, desensitization can be completed safely. Given the patient's disease progression within two months of treatment, it is unknown whether desensitization impacts the drug's clinical benefit.

PMID 42852808
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PubMedFrontiers in immunology2026-10-09

Case Report: dupilumab for severe pruritus in pediatric recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa-a longitudinal clinical assessment and literature review.

Liu Linli L, Li Qianying Q, Liu Yan Y, Li Kehan K et al.

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) results from biallelic COL7A1 variants and causes trauma-induced blistering, scarring, and progressive extracutaneous complications. Severe pruritus may intensify skin injury through an itch-scratch cycle. We report a 7-year-old, 25-kg girl with infantile-onset generalized blistering, severe pruritus, mucosal and nail involvement, scarring, and digital contractures. Histopathology showed a subepidermal blister. Sequencing identified heterozygous COL7A1 c.5605G>C (p.Gly1869Arg) and c.5532+5G>A, inherited from different parents and therefore occurring in trans. Contemporary ACMG/AMP reassessment classified c.5532+5G>A as pathogenic and p.Gly1869Arg as likely pathogenic; together with the phenotype and segregation findings, these variants supported a molecular diagnosis of RDEB. Because severe pruritus and inflammatory erosions persisted despite supportive care, off-label dupilumab was initiated with a 600-mg loading dose followed by 300 mg every 4 weeks. Routine wound care was continued, while caregiver-reported use of cetirizine drops and topical fusidic acid was intermittent during follow-up. Prospective assessments at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 documented a reduction in pruritus numerical rating scale (NRS) score from 7 to 1 as the primary clinical observation. Secondary descriptive changes included decreases in the Epidermolysis Bullosa Disease Activity and Scarring Index (EBDASI) activity score from 52 to 32 and pain NRS from 4 to 1, and a change in hand-function grade from 3 to 2. Photographs showed fewer active erosions and crusted lesions, whereas established scarring and contractures persisted. No adverse events considered related to dupilumab were observed during 16 weeks. Because this was an uncontrolled observation with continued background care, the changes do not establish causality. No patient-specific type 2 inflammatory biomarkers were measured.

PMID 42851360
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PubMedJournal of research in pharmacy practice2026-09-29

Clinical Outcomes of Adding Topical Cetirizine to Minoxidil Therapy in Patients with Androgenetic Alopeci.

Mokhtari Fatemeh F, Faghihi Gita G, Maleki Somayeh S, Hosseini Sayed Mohsen SM et al.

The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding 1% topical cetirizine to 5% topical minoxidil compared with topical minoxidil alone in patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). In this single-blind randomized clinical trial, 62 patients with AGA were allocated to receive either topical minoxidil 5% twice daily (monotherapy group, n = 31) or topical minoxidil 5% twice daily plus topical cetirizine 1% once daily (adjunctive therapy group, n = 31) for 16 weeks. Primary outcomes included changes in hair density and hair diameter scores. Secondary outcomes were global photography score, patient satisfaction, and treatment-related adverse events. Both groups demonstrated improvement from baseline in hair density and hair diameter scores after 16 weeks of treatment. However, no significant differences were observed between groups in hair density score (0.65 ± 0.61 vs. 0.68 ± 0.60, P = 0.987), hair diameter score (1.29 ± 0.59 vs. 1.39 ± 0.62, P = 0.628), or global photography score (1.00 ± 0.68 vs. 1.06 ± 0.57, P = 0.697). Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the adjunctive therapy group than in the monotherapy group (1.82 ± 1.07 vs. 1.13 ± 0.85, P = 0.004). Two cases of local irritation were reported in the monotherapy group, whereas no adverse events were reported in the adjunctive therapy group. The addition of 1% topical cetirizine to topical minoxidil did not result in superior objective hair-growth outcomes compared with minoxidil alone. Although patient satisfaction was higher among patients receiving adjunctive cetirizine, this finding may be attributable to factors other than a direct pharmacologic effect. Further double-blind, vehicle-controlled studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to clarify the role of topical cetirizine in the management of AGA.

PMID 42808078
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PubMedLuminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence2026-09-26

A Sustainable, Quality-by-Design (QbD) Inspired Spectrofluorimetric Method for the Concurrent Analysis of Cetirizine and Montelukast in COVID-19 and Allergic Rhinitis Combination Therapy.

El-Khateeb Basma Z BZ, Amer Mona M MM, Michael Mary A MA

A novel direct spectrofluorimetric method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of cetirizine hydrochloride (CTZ) and montelukast sodium (MKT), commonly used in COVID-19 combination therapy. Montelukast was determined using first derivative synchronous fluorescence at 422 nm, corresponding to a zero-crossing point for CTZ. Cetirizine was quantified using a newly applied ratio derivative synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (1DD-SFS) technique, using MKT (0.1 μg/mL) as a divisor, allowing CTZ measurement at 293 nm. Cetirizine and montelukast native fluorescence was significantly enhanced by micellar solubilization using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sulfuric acid. A two-level factorial design was employed for method optimization, with optimal conditions incorporating 0.5% w/v CTAB and 0.2-M sulfuric acid. Validation was performed according to ICH guidelines, proving the methods specificity, sensitivity, and robustness. The methods demonstrated linearity in the range of 0.1-1.0 μg/mL for MKT and 1.0-10.0 μg/mL for CTZ, with detection limits of 0.017 and 0.415 μg/mL, respectively. The developed methods were applied for MKT and CTZ concurrent determination in laboratory-prepared mixtures simulating tablet formulations. Greenness and practicality were assessed using Eco-Scale, the Complex MoGAPI, AGREE, and BAGI establishing the method as eco-friendly and suitable for routine quality control.

PMID 42798286
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