A nationwide, multi-center clinical trial of the American Lung Association?s Asthma Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) has found that neither low-dose theophylline nor montelukast improve asthma control in people who were using just a short acting inhaled bronchodilator, but that low-dose theophylline is beneficial in those patients who had not been prescribed inhaled corticosteroids.
?Our study confirms that low-dose theophylline is a useful alternative in those patients who are not able or willing to take inhaled corticosteroids,? said Norman H. Edelman, MD, American Lung Association Chief Medical Officer. ?Inhaled corticosteroids have become a mainstay of asthma treatment.
The results of our research offer greater data for physicians treating patients who cannot or will not use inhaled corticosteroids. And true to the goals of our Asthma Clinical Research Centers program, this is information that physicians can immediately use to help manage their patients? asthma,? said Dr. Edelman.
Study results, ?Clinical Trial of Low-Dose Theophylline and Montelukast in Patients with Poorly Controlled Asthma,? were published in the February issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine.
Asthma symptoms, quality of life, and asthma control were consistent between both the treatment and control groups, although patients who took theophylline experienced more nausea and nervousness than those taking the placeboa.
The American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network is the nation?s largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma treatment research. The ACRC conducts large clinical trials that will have a direct impact on patient care and asthma treatment. It has attracted some of the best asthma investigators worldwide and consists of 20 asthma clinical research centers and a Data Coordinating Center.
More than 35 million Americans have chronic lung disease, including more than 20 million with asthma. Asthma ranks among the top 10 leading conditions causing limitation of activity. The American Lung Association?s asthma work beyond the ACRC includes school-based programs (Open Airways For Schools, Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative), adult education (Breathe Well, Live Well), and advocacy efforts on the local, state and federal levels.