The therapeutic management of asthma has advanced by leaps and bounds with the introduction of various new classes of drugs, including biologics and novel β-2-adrenergic agonists. The USFDA recently approved the first combination therapy of a short-acting β-2-adrenergic agonist (albuterol) and an inhaled corticosteroid (budesonide) for the treatment of asthma and prevention of bronchoconstriction.
Evaluation Evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial 3132 asthma patients were randomized into two groups: Control: Patients prescribed 180 µg albuterol sulfate Treatment arm: Patients treated with two doses budesonide/albuterol sulfate (total 160/180 µg/day) Patients in the treatment group had a 29% lower risk of a severe asthma attack as compared to the control group. This was evaluated by the time to first severe asthma attack after the beginning of the…
