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Corticosteroid-sparing effect of azelastine in the management of bronchial asthma.

1996; American Thoracic Society; Volume: 153; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1164/ajrccm.153.1.8542104

1535-4970

Chong Kin Liam, Elliott Middleton, William W. Storms, Robert J. Dockhorn, Theodore J. Chu, Jay Grossman, John M. Weiler, Edwin A. Bronsky, Lyndon E. Mansfield, Thomas D. Bell, George R. Hemsworth, James L. Perhach, Thomas A. D'Eletto, Anne A. van Dam,

Pharmacogenetics and Drug Metabolism

The objective of this double-blind trial was to evaluate the corticosteroid-sparing effect of azelastine in patients with chronic bronchial asthma. A total of 193 subjects received either 6 mg of azelastine twice per day or placebo (in a 2:1 ratio) in combination with beclomethasone dipropionate (6 to 16 inhalations per day). The number of daily inhalations of the corticosteroid was reduced until maximum reduction or elimination was achieved. Patients then entered a 12-wk maintenance period, during which patients were maintained on their lowest possible dose of inhaled corticosteroid. Compared with placebo, the azelastine group had a statistically significantly greater overall median reduction in inhaled corticosteroids (4.9 puffs/day for azelastine versus 3.1 puffs/day for placebo; p < or = 0.010) during the maintenance period. The azelastine group also had a statistically significantly higher percentage of patients with reductions of > or = 50% and > or = 75% from the baseline level (53 and 31%, respectively, for azelastine versus 34 and 14%, respectively, for placebo; p < or = 0.028). The results demonstrated that azelastine, 6 mg twice per day, can reduce the need for inhaled corticosteroids in patients with chronic bronchial asthma and not lead to a deterioration in pulmonary function.