The aim of the study was to investigate if astemizole, a new, long-acting antihistamine preparation, has an effect on histamine-inhalation tests and to assess the duration of action of this medication. The study included a group of 15 adult subjects with asthma in a clinically stable state. The subjects all demonstrated mild to severe bronchial hyperresponsiveness (geometric mean provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PC20) histamine, 0.57; range, 0.20 to 4.7 mg/ml). The first part of the study was a double-blind, 7-day trial of astemizole (10 mg/day) or placebo, assigned in random order for the first eight subjects. The seven subjects entering the trial subsequently were administered active medication only. PC20 histamine was assessed on the 3 consecutive days before starting the trial, on the last day of medication, 3 days later, and once a week thereafter until PC20 returned to baseline. PC20 methacholine was also assessed before the trial and regularly thereafter to ensure functional stability. No significant changes in PC20 histamine were documented in the placebo-treated group, but the four subjects receiving active medication demonstrated marked changes in PC20 histamine (from a tenfold to a greater than 100-fold difference) (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in changes in PC20 methacholine between the two treatment groups (p = 0.27). The duration of recovery of bronchial response to histamine in all 15 subjects ranged from 12 to 102 days (mean, 42 days) and was in some subjects, longer than the duration of the blocking effect of histamine reactivity found with skin testing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)