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What's N e w in Asthma Medications? Take a Pill for Long-term Control
A new pill for the prevention and chronic treatment of asthma is now available for both adults and children over the age of 6 who have asthma. Singulair® (montelukast sodium) was approved by the FDA in February 1998. It is the first of its type in pill form that is administered only once a day. Singulair falls under a new class of asthma medicines known as leukotriene
Singulair, one of the
quick-relief medicines to relieve asthma symptoms.) They also should not be used as a substitute for oral or inhaled corticosteroids. Although, once good control is achieved, a physician may be able to step down a patient's dose of corticosteroids. According to results from clinical studies conducted at Merck Research Laboratories, Singulair improved the control of asthma in many patients by significantly decreasing asthma attacks. It also prevented daytime and nighttime asthma symptoms, and reduced reliance on other asthma medicines. In addition, many patients gradually were able to reduce their use of inhaled corticosteroids. However, the researchers indicate that Singulair may not completely eliminate the need for inhaled or systemic corticosteroids. The drug is available in 10mg tablets for adolescents and adults and in 5mg cherry-favored chewable tablets for children ages 6 to 14.
n e w class of medica-
A New Ozone friendly Inhaler
tions called leukotriene blockers, prevents the release of leukotrienes which have been discovered to be part of the inflammatory p r o c e s s associated with asthma.
blockers (or modifiers). Leukotriene blockers prevent the release of leukotrienes, which are produced in the lungs, and have been discovered to be part of the inflammatory process associated with asthma (see "Leukotriene Modifiers - New Drugs for Treating Asthma," in the March/April 1998 issue of Asthma Magazine). Developed by Merck & Co., Inc., Singulair is intended for long-term control of asthma and not for quick-relief of acute asthma episodes or symptoms. The pills should not be taken to relieve an asthma episode. (Patients should continue to take to
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call
1.800.527.3284
As the FDA and the medical community continue to grapple with the transition to chloroflourocarbon (CFC)free asthma inhalers (see "The Transition to CFCFree Inhalers," in the January/February 1998 issue of Asthma Magazine), a new dry powder inhaler has become available. Dry powder inhalers do not use propellants and, therefore, do not emit CFCs, which are known to harm the ozone layer. The Pulmicort Turbuhaler contains the corticosteroid budesonide inhalation powder.
The Pulmicort Turbuhaler is a corticosteroid dry p o w d e r inhaler containing t h e drug budesonide. It is indicated for long-term control of asthma, not quick relief of a s t h m a symptoms.
It is marketed by Astra USA and was recently approved by the FDA. The Pulmicort Turbuhaler is indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as preventive therapy in children and adults 6 years of age and older. The product is indicated for patients requiring oral corticosteroid therapy for asthma. It is not intended to treat acute or life-threatening episodes of asthma. The new inhaler is a breath-activated device that delivers the anti-inflammatory medication into a patient's lungs solely through the force of breathing in. As the patient breathes in, the air drawn through the device carries the fine, dry powdered medication into the lungs. Unlike other asthma inhalers, it does not require the patient to physically activate the device and inhale at the same time. A spacer is not needed with the device. Studies show that the Pulmicort Turbuhaler improves lung function and asthma symptoms and reduces the need for inhaled bronchodilators.
One useful feature of this device is that it has a small window that indicates when 20 doses are left. A red mark appears at the top of the window signaling that you are almost out and moves to the bottom of the window when the unit is empty. Each unit has 200 pre-loaded doses of the medicated dry powder. Built-in
Spacer
Delivers
A recent study looked at the effectiveness of the "built-in" spacer used with the inhaled asthma medication Azmacort (triamcinolone acetonide). The results showed that the built-in spacer increased drug delivery to the lungs by 180 percent when compared to not using any spacer when administering medication. The study was conducted by researchers from Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland, in collaboration with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures Azmacort. They used an advanced type of imaging technology called positron emission tomography (PET) to determine how much of the asthma medication was deposited in the lungs and the extent of its distribution in other areas of the patients' bodies. In addition to the significant increase in the amount of medication deposited in the lungs, the researchers also found that 22 percent less medication was left in the mouth and throat with the use of the built-in spacer. Through PET imaging technology, scientists are able to obtain images of the body's metabolic activity and biological functions. This is the first study to use this type of noninvasive imaging to measure the amount of an inhaled drug that is deposited by area and amount in the body. to
subscribe
call
1.800.527.3284
ASTHMA
19
A new pill for the prevention and chronic treatment of asthma is now available for both adults and children over the age of 6 who have asthma. Singulair® (montelukast sodium) was approved by the FDA in February 1998. It is the first of its type in pill form that is administered only once a day. Singulair falls under a new class of asthma medicines known as leukotriene
Singulair, one of the
quick-relief medicines to relieve asthma symptoms.) They also should not be used as a substitute for oral or inhaled corticosteroids. Although, once good control is achieved, a physician may be able to step down a patient's dose of corticosteroids. According to results from clinical studies conducted at Merck Research Laboratories, Singulair improved the control of asthma in many patients by significantly decreasing asthma attacks. It also prevented daytime and nighttime asthma symptoms, and reduced reliance on other asthma medicines. In addition, many patients gradually were able to reduce their use of inhaled corticosteroids. However, the researchers indicate that Singulair may not completely eliminate the need for inhaled or systemic corticosteroids. The drug is available in 10mg tablets for adolescents and adults and in 5mg cherry-favored chewable tablets for children ages 6 to 14.
n e w class of medica-
A New Ozone friendly Inhaler
tions called leukotriene blockers, prevents the release of leukotrienes which have been discovered to be part of the inflammatory p r o c e s s associated with asthma.
blockers (or modifiers). Leukotriene blockers prevent the release of leukotrienes, which are produced in the lungs, and have been discovered to be part of the inflammatory process associated with asthma (see "Leukotriene Modifiers - New Drugs for Treating Asthma," in the March/April 1998 issue of Asthma Magazine). Developed by Merck & Co., Inc., Singulair is intended for long-term control of asthma and not for quick-relief of acute asthma episodes or symptoms. The pills should not be taken to relieve an asthma episode. (Patients should continue to take to
subscribe
call
1.800.527.3284
As the FDA and the medical community continue to grapple with the transition to chloroflourocarbon (CFC)free asthma inhalers (see "The Transition to CFCFree Inhalers," in the January/February 1998 issue of Asthma Magazine), a new dry powder inhaler has become available. Dry powder inhalers do not use propellants and, therefore, do not emit CFCs, which are known to harm the ozone layer. The Pulmicort Turbuhaler contains the corticosteroid budesonide inhalation powder.
The Pulmicort Turbuhaler is a corticosteroid dry p o w d e r inhaler containing t h e drug budesonide. It is indicated for long-term control of asthma, not quick relief of a s t h m a symptoms.
It is marketed by Astra USA and was recently approved by the FDA. The Pulmicort Turbuhaler is indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as preventive therapy in children and adults 6 years of age and older. The product is indicated for patients requiring oral corticosteroid therapy for asthma. It is not intended to treat acute or life-threatening episodes of asthma. The new inhaler is a breath-activated device that delivers the anti-inflammatory medication into a patient's lungs solely through the force of breathing in. As the patient breathes in, the air drawn through the device carries the fine, dry powdered medication into the lungs. Unlike other asthma inhalers, it does not require the patient to physically activate the device and inhale at the same time. A spacer is not needed with the device. Studies show that the Pulmicort Turbuhaler improves lung function and asthma symptoms and reduces the need for inhaled bronchodilators.
One useful feature of this device is that it has a small window that indicates when 20 doses are left. A red mark appears at the top of the window signaling that you are almost out and moves to the bottom of the window when the unit is empty. Each unit has 200 pre-loaded doses of the medicated dry powder. Built-in
Spacer
Delivers
A recent study looked at the effectiveness of the "built-in" spacer used with the inhaled asthma medication Azmacort (triamcinolone acetonide). The results showed that the built-in spacer increased drug delivery to the lungs by 180 percent when compared to not using any spacer when administering medication. The study was conducted by researchers from Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland, in collaboration with Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures Azmacort. They used an advanced type of imaging technology called positron emission tomography (PET) to determine how much of the asthma medication was deposited in the lungs and the extent of its distribution in other areas of the patients' bodies. In addition to the significant increase in the amount of medication deposited in the lungs, the researchers also found that 22 percent less medication was left in the mouth and throat with the use of the built-in spacer. Through PET imaging technology, scientists are able to obtain images of the body's metabolic activity and biological functions. This is the first study to use this type of noninvasive imaging to measure the amount of an inhaled drug that is deposited by area and amount in the body. to
subscribe
call
1.800.527.3284
ASTHMA
19