Anti-fungal drug hope for people with asthma
Monday December 29 2008
Thousands of people suffering severe asthma could benefit from taking anti-fungal medication already available from chemists, new research shows.
Scientists have found that pills used to treat everyday fungal infections greatly improved symptoms of asthma in those patients that had an allergic reaction to one or more fungi.
The study, released today and carried out at four hospitals in England by the University of Manchester, is the first to show that anti-fungal therapy can improve the symptoms of those who suffer from the effects of severe asthma, including a runny nose, sneezing and hayfever-like complaints.
improvement
Researchers compared the oral anti-fungal drug Itraconazole with a placebo over eight months and found nearly 60pc of patients taking the drug showed significant improvement in their symptoms.
"Only patients with a positive skin or blood test for fungal allergy were included in the study,'' said professor David Denning.
"Severe asthma affects between five and 10pc of adult asthmatics and probably 25-50pc of these patients showed allergy to one or more fungi.
"Since about 60pc of those treated benefited from the treatment, we believe that anti-fungal therapy may be helpful in as many as 150,000 adults with asthma in Britain alone.''
Itraconazole has been used to treat millions of patients around the world since being marketed in 1991.
The clinical study looked at the responses of 58 patients, who showed significant improvements in quality of life.
Patients' asthma and nasal symptoms deteriorated within four months of stopping therapy.
"This pioneering study indicates that fungal allergy is important in some patients with severe asthma, and that oral anti-fungal therapy is worth trying in some difficult-to-treat patient," asthma expert Dr Robert Niven commented.
- Pat Hurst
