Popular asthma drug inadequate when used alone

A drug widely prescribed as the sole treatment for asthma has been found to be incapable by itself when it comes to preventing asthma attacks.

The drug is also ineffective in controlling the airway inflammation thought to lead to deteriorated lung function and gradual worsening of asthma.

From Ucsf.edu:

“Inhaled steroids are widely underutilized,” Lazarus concludes. “In low doses they are safe, and they are the most proven method of attacking the inflammation that is asthma’s greatest long-term danger.”

Lazarus is co-author of a companion article in the same issue of JAMA which found that once their asthma was brought under control with inhaled steroids and long-acting beta agonists, most patients with more severe asthma could cut their steroid dosage in half with no ill effects. But if the steroids were dropped completely, the asthma could not be adequately controlled.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.