Drug combats seasonal asthma - study
Thursday March 17th, 2011
A new asthma drug may achieve dramatic results in preventing attacks linked to the onset of spring and autumn, researchers reported last night.
A
major analysis of omalizumab found that seasonal attacks of asthma were
"nearly eliminated".
The drug targets the immune system, homing in on the IgE antibody with a view to preventing severe allergic reactions.
More than 400 children and teenagers took part in the research, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. About half received the drug and half did not.
Researcher Dr Rebecca Gruchalla, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA, said: "The increased number of asthma attacks we typically see in the fall and spring nearly was eliminated in the children and adolescents who received the drug.
"Those who received the drug experienced 25 percent fewer days with symptoms and a 30 percent reduction in asthma attacks."
She added: "While these children typically are exposed to multiple allergens that are difficult if not impossible to control, their asthma improved dramatically when we added omalizumab to therapy."
Researchers said the study provided evidence of the effectiveness of the drug in preventing allergic reactions - the best-protected children were those who were allergic to cockroaches and tended to be exposed to these creatures in day to day life.
The findings were welcomed by US officials.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: "The results of this study are extremely promising because they show that the addition of omalizumab to the National Institutes of Health guidelines-based therapy for asthma offers improved asthma control and the potential to decrease the burden of this chronic disease in children and adolescents."
A randomized trial to evaluate the impact of the addition of omalizumab to guidelines based therapy of inner-city children and adolescents with asthma. WW Busse et al. New England Journal of Medicine. March 16 2011 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1009705
Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Child Health | North America | Pharmaceuticals
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