Doctors Seeing Asthmatics Abandon Preventive Inhaled Medications for Less Expensive, Symptom-Relieving Inhalers

Doctors are witnessing a disturbing trend in the use of inhaled medications for asthma treatment with the increasing costs of both medical care and medications.

Asthma: When Inhalers Fail

Many asthmatics are abandoning the use of preventive inhaled medications for less expensive, symptom relieving inhalers only (marketed brand names: ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, or Proventil HFA).

The economy is making many asthmatics choose between using inhaled medications to prevent asthma attacks versus just getting by treating daily symptoms.

According to current asthma treatment guidelines, the use of rescue inhalers more than twice weekly indicates the need for daily preventive asthma treatment; this usually means the addition of an inhaled steroid medication for better disease control.

Every asthmatic carries a rescue inhaler, a class of medications called “beta-agonists”, for immediate symptom relief.

“There is a substantial difference between symptom control and actual disease control” emphasizes Dr. Edward Lisberg, Director of Asthma and Allergy Center of Chicago, SC.

“Asthmatics who rely upon symptom relieving or rescue inhalers instead of preventive inhaled medications have more asthma exacerbations, ER visits, and hospitalizations for asthma.”

This reliance upon rescue inhalers is a major reason why research efforts are focusing on, non-inhaler, non-steroid based forms of asthma therapy.

For those asthma patients who rely solely upon rescue inhaler use as their primary therapy, Dr Lisberg and other researchers across the country are initiating a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and benefit of a non-inhaled investigational medication to improve asthma control.

The target of the investigational therapy, termed Interleukin-13 (IL-13), contributes to many of the clinical features of asthma. Produced by cells within the airways, IL-13 promotes underlying lung tissue inflammation, mucus plugging, and airway thickening.

“Asthma is a very complex disease, or group of diseases, and for a variety of reasons, many asthmatics fail to achieve disease control with current inhaler therapy” notes Dr. Lisberg.  Researchers believe that as few as four injections of an investigational monoclonal antibody against IL-13 may reduce the inflammatory airway process, resulting in decreased reliance upon inhaler based treatments.

For asthma sufferers, many elements contribute to poor disease control: lack of access to quality medical care, genetics, environmental exposures, medication costs, and other as yet to be discovered factors.

“Clearly, we need better preventive asthma therapies that go beyond symptom relief, that actually reduce or reverse the underlying airway problems affecting asthma sufferers” emphasizes Dr. Lisberg.

Four injections may offer hope for asthmatics, reducing the reliance upon rescue inhalers, and fulfilling the promise of research for better and healthier lives for all asthma sufferers.

About the Asthma and Allergy Center of Chicago, SC

The Asthma and Allergy Center of Chicago, SC is an independent, respiratory and allergy research/patient care center.

The Center’s Director, Edward E. Lisberg, MD, FCCP, CPI, has been Principal Investigator for over 100 clinical asthma trials, in addition to research in other pivotal clinical trials involving COPD, and allergic diseases.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Cindy Rutherford, 708-366-9300
cindy.rutherford@att.net