Asthma pills as effective as inhalers
Researchers are saying that a one-a-day pill is just as, if not more than effective at treating asthma than traditional inhalers.
It is thought the new tablet could revolutionise asthma treatments, because people may prefer to take a tablet as many find inhalers difficult to use.
According to the report in the New England Journal of Medicine asthma sufferers had as much symptom relief after taking the tablets as they get from using an inhaler.
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Although the leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) tablets – known by their brand names of Singulair and Accolate – have been available for years, they are much less prescribed than inhalers.
A team of researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK tested 650 local patients aged 12 to 80 and found that 80 percent would be able to take the asthma pill instead of using an inhaler.
In the UK approximately 5.4 million people have asthma, and 1.1 million of those are children.
Dr Stanley Musgrave, co author of the report, said: “The tablet may provide an alternative that can be as effective as an inhaler.”
“What the study basically says to a doctor or nurse when working with a patient is that this is something they may want to consider as well as the standard therapies.”
He added: “The medication is available on the NHS, it's just been a lower or a second choice.”
Although previous studies have shown that inhalers outperformed the asthma tablets in randomized settings, experts say this most recent study is much more similar to a real-world setting.
