RPL554, a potential drug for providing relief to patients suffering from asthma is undergoing human trials in the near future after it successfully cleared trials on more than 60 people in the year 2008 at the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR) in the Netherlands.

The drug is believed to offer a crucial insight to medical practitioners across the globe to treat asthmatic patients. This potential drug for asthma is expected to reach the market in the next 3-5 years after successful completion of initial trials for safety and efficacy.

From News-Medical.Net:

Current treatments for asthma and hay fever sufferers are beta-agonists, which open up the airways, and inhaled steroids, which dampen down the inflammation that causes irritation - they are either taken together or singly.

But they have serious side effects, including possible harm to the cardiovascular system and the ’shakes’ reported by many patients from excess use.

Experts say little progress has been made recently with alternative, effective and practical treatment options for a wide range of people with asthma and hay fever and by combining anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to overcome airway narrowing in a single long-lasting dose via the nose, RPL554 could offer real hope of a significant breakthrough.

Some practitioners are of the view that this drug will help them to draw new and improved treatment plans for treating their asthmatic patients.

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According to a researcher from Baylor College of Medicine in a publication, the influenza vaccine is effective for guarding asthma patients using inhaled steroids against type A flu though the protection gets significantly reduced against type B flu in patients who take high doses of inhaled steroids.

Dr. Nicola Hanania, BCM assistant professor of medicine and director of the Asthma Clinical Research Center, said that the study findings should reassure physicians and patients about the fact that the influenza vaccine does provide protection against influenza in most asthma patients on inhaled steroids.

From News-Medical.Net:

There are occasional outbreaks of influenza type B, and in the event this happens, people who use inhaled steroids to control their asthma may need to receive other medications in addition to the vaccine, he said.

Hanania was the lead researcher among the six centers belonging to the American Lung Association-Asthma Clinical Research Centers Network that participated in this study. The study looked at 294 asthma patients who were randomly assigned to receive either the flu vaccine or a placebo (an inactive medication). Seventy-five percent of patients who received the vaccine were on steroids while 70 percent of those received placebo were on steroids.

The immune response of patients on steroids at all doses who received the vaccine was higher than that seen in patients on steroids who received placebo, said Hanania. However, patients on high doses of inhaled steroids had a lower immune response to type B influenza. A previously published study performed by this network confirmed the safety of influenza vaccine in children and adults with asthma.

This report appeared in an issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

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According to a study, some children suffering from asthma are genetically less responsive to inhaled corticosteroids.

It was remarked by researcher Gregory Sawicki, M.D. of Children’s Hospital in Boston, that there can be many reasons for this finding.

Dr. Sawicki noted that many studies of asthmatic adults have already suggested that even rigorous use of inhaled steroids does not lead to well controlled asthma in all adults.

From News-Medical.Net:

Of the 914 children in the study, inhaled steroids were recommended for 435 who had persistent asthma, meaning they had symptoms on a regular basis. Among children who weren’t recommended for inhaled steroid treatment, most reported well-controlled asthma. Among those recommended for inhaled steroid treatment, 44% reported consistently using the medicine; 35% said they intermittently used the medicine and 21% said they didn’t use it at all.

“The majority of children with mild asthma are less likely to have symptoms as they get older and may not need to be on daily steroids,” Dr. Sawicki said. “The flip side is that if a child has poor asthma control, the parents and doctor need to make sure the child is adhering to their inhaled steroid treatment. But variation in response to inhaled steroids, as other medications, is well described.”

This data came from the Child Asthma Management Program Continuation Study (CAMPCS), one of the largest groups of children with mild to moderate asthma in the nation who have been followed over 10 years.

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According to a new research, individuals with mild and persistent asthma and administered with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids may make lesser use of inhalers or switch to a new pill.

Stephen P. Peters, M.D., Ph.D., lead author and a professor of pediatrics, internal medicine-pulmonary and associate director of the Center for Human Genomics, remarked that this finding is good news for patients with mild, persistent asthma as it gives them extra choices for asthma management.

From News-Medical.Net:

The study, involving 500 children and adults with mild asthma, was conducted by the American Lung Association’s Asthma Clinical Research Centers. Its goal was to determine if patients whose symptoms are well controlled on twice daily inhaled corticosteroid can “step down” their medication use. The results are reported in the May 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Asthma is considered mild, but persistent, when symptoms occur more than two times a week or cause the patient to awaken during the night more than twice a month. The standard treatment for mild-persistent asthma is twice-daily use of an inhaled steroid to prevent symptoms. Patients may also take additional drugs such as the inhaler albuterol, known as “rescue” therapy, to treat symptoms. A majority of people with asthma have mild disease, according to Peters.

The study involved patients whose asthma was treated with twice-daily inhaled fluticasone propionate (Flovent Discus), a commonly prescribed synthetic steroid. This drug is designed to suppress inflammation within the airways that can cause narrowing.

Peters said that it would be best for patients faring well with the twice a day inhaled corticosteroid treatment option and seeking other options to talk to their doctors before making a decision.

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During a study in which comparisons were made between cromolyn and inhaled steroid treatment in context to treating asthma, it was found that inhaled steroids are better than cromolyn.

This study was conducted by James Guevara, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues and suggested that adults and children with asthma can exercise better control over asthma with inhaled corticosteroids than cromolyn.

From News.Bio-Medicine.Org:

Cromolyn’s manufacturer has changed several times during the past two decades, which may also explain why the drug’s popularity has waned, Storms said. The succession of companies “did not spend one dollar in research in the past 20 years to study cromolyn. All of the data are old and most are forgotten,” he said.

The Cochrane reviewers examined 17 studies involving 1279 children and eight studies involving 321 adults with asthma. They found no differences in serious side effects between those using the steroids and those using cromolyn, but acknowledge that adverse effects were reported inconsistently.

Guevara and colleagues conclude that inhaled corticosteroids were superior to cromolyn regardless of the severity of the asthma. They suggest the results are so decisive that future studies comparing the two types of drugs “may not be warranted.”

The study pointed out that asthmatic patients on inhaled steroids (such as the brand names Pulmicort, Flovent, and Beclovent) had fewer severe asthma flare-ups on a yearly average basis when compared to patients on cromolyn (sold under the brand name Intal).

It was also suggested that patients on steroids scored considerably better on tests of lung function and made less use of asthma inhalers.

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According to a new research, asthmatics with mild asthma can effectively manage their ailment with a twice-daily use of inhaled steroids or switching to a daily pill.

Stephen P. Peters, M.D., Ph.D., lead author and a professor of pediatrics, internal medicine-pulmonary and associate director of the Center for Human Genomics, remarked that this is good news for asthma patients with a mild and persistent form of the disease as it offers them more choices when it comes to disease management.

The results were reported in the May 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

From News-Medical.Net:

Asthma is considered mild, but persistent, when symptoms occur more than two times a week or cause the patient to awaken during the night more than twice a month. The standard treatment for mild-persistent asthma is twice-daily use of an inhaled steroid to prevent symptoms. Patients may also take additional drugs such as the inhaler albuterol, known as “rescue” therapy, to treat symptoms. A majority of people with asthma have mild disease, according to Peters.

The study involved patients whose asthma was treated with twice-daily inhaled fluticasone propionate (Flovent Discus), a commonly prescribed synthetic steroid. This drug is designed to suppress inflammation within the airways that can cause narrowing.

Peters said that the study suggests that patients administered with twice-daily fluticasone and managing their ailment effectively may be switched to once-daily flucitasone/salmeterol without increased rates of treatment failure. He also said that montelukast, which fairs poorly when compared to inhaled medications, may still be considered as an option as a majority of patients also did well on this treatment.

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As per Dr. Nicola Hanania, BCM assistant professor of medicine and director of the Asthma Clinical Research Center, from Baylor College of Medicine and findings presented in an issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the influenza vaccine has the potential to offer great relief to asthmatic patients on inhaled steroids and suffering from type A flu.

It was, however, remarked that protection against type B flu gets considerably reduced in patients taking high doses of inhaled steroids.

From News-Medical.Net:

Hanania was the lead researcher among the six centers belonging to the American Lung Association-Asthma Clinical Research Centers Network that participated in this study. The study looked at 294 asthma patients who were randomly assigned to receive either the flu vaccine or a placebo (an inactive medication). Seventy-five percent of patients who received the vaccine were on steroids while 70 percent of those received placebo were on steroids.

The immune response of patients on steroids at all doses who received the vaccine was higher than that seen in patients on steroids who received placebo, said Hanania. However, patients on high doses of inhaled steroids had a lower immune response to type B influenza. A previously published study performed by this network confirmed the safety of influenza vaccine in children and adults with asthma.

Hanania further remarked that these study findings should reconfirm and assure physicians and patients about the fact that influenza vaccine does offer protection against influenza in most of the asthmatic patients on inhaled steroids.

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Some children may face problems while responding to steroid treatment for reducing the occurrence and severity of asthma attacks, as per a new study presented at the American Thoracic Society.

It was remarked by researcher Gregory Sawicki, M.D. of Children’s Hospital in Boston that this study highlighted the fact that not all children react to inhaled corticosteroids in the same manner.

From News-Medical.Net:

“The majority of children with mild asthma are less likely to have symptoms as they get older and may not need to be on daily steroids,” Dr. Sawicki said. “The flip side is that if a child has poor asthma control, the parents and doctor need to make sure the child is adhering to their inhaled steroid treatment. But variation in response to inhaled steroids, as other medications, is well described.”

The data comes from the Child Asthma Management Program Continuation Study (CAMPCS), one of the largest groups of children with mild to moderate asthma in the nation who have been followed over 10 years. “This study gives us a good sense of real-world practice in asthma management,” Dr. Sawicki says. “The children’s care is not directed by anyone in the study; it’s an observation of what goes on when the children’s care is directed by their own physicians.”

Sawicki was of the view that even higher dosages of inhaled steroids may not solve the purpose for controlling asthma in an effective way, a fact that has also been suggested by past studies on asthma treatment.

It is considered that results of this study would prove beneficial in developing and implementing an improved asthma treatment option, especially in cases without any positive results in the past.

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According to a study that was presented at the American Thoracic Society, there may be times when inhaled steroids recommended for an asthmatic child may not be as effective as thought.

It was also revealed by this study that this treatment result may be due to the fact that some children are less responsive to steroid treatment than others, a fact that was brought into notice by Gregory Sawicki, M.D. of Children’s Hospital in Boston.

From News-Medical.Net:

“The majority of children with mild asthma are less likely to have symptoms as they get older and may not need to be on daily steroids,” Dr. Sawicki said. “The flip side is that if a child has poor asthma control, the parents and doctor need to make sure the child is adhering to their inhaled steroid treatment. But variation in response to inhaled steroids, as other medications, is well described.”

The data comes from the Child Asthma Management Program Continuation Study (CAMPCS), one of the largest groups of children with mild to moderate asthma in the nation who have been followed over 10 years. “This study gives us a good sense of real-world practice in asthma management,” Dr. Sawicki says. “The children’s care is not directed by anyone in the study; it’s an observation of what goes on when the children’s care is directed by their own physicians.”

It was remarked by Dr. Sawicki that an extensive use of inhaled steroids has already been proved to be worthless when it comes to ensuring well-controlled asthma in every adult asthmatic patient.

It is believed that findings of this study will prove to be beneficial for members of the medical fraternity while prescribing inhaled steroids to young asthmatic patients and controlling asthma in their patients with little or no success.

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According to a researcher from Baylor College of Medicine in a recent publication, an influenza vaccine protects patients suffering from asthma and treated with inhaled steroids when it comes to staging a fight against type A flu though the same could not be meant for protection against type B flu.

From News-Medical.Net:

“The findings of this study should reassure physicians and patients that influenza vaccine does provide protection against influenza in most asthma patients taking inhaled steroids,” said Dr. Nicola Hanania, BCM assistant professor of medicine and director of the Asthma Clinical Research Center. “We certainly don’t want asthmatics to avoid taking their influenza vaccine because of these study results.”

“It works for influenza type A, the most common type that circulates in Houston and the United States,” he said.

There are occasional outbreaks of influenza type B, and in the event this happens, people who use inhaled steroids to control their asthma may need to receive other medications in addition to the vaccine, he said.

As per Hanania, the immune response of patients receiving the vaccine and on steroids at different doses was greater than those on placebo. It was, however, remarked that patients administered with high dosages of inhaled steroids had a lower immune response when it came to treating type B influenza. The report was published in an issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

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