Press Release

Contact: Tom Capezzuto
(973) 972-7273
E-mail:capezzta@umdnj.edu

At UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School: New Study Shows Inhaled Corticosteroids Most Effective in School-Age Children

NEWARK, NJ (2/2/06)— An asthma expert at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) says that results of a recently completed study shows that inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the most effective treatment to help control mild-to-moderate persistent asthma in school-age children.

Dr. Leonard Bielory, director of the Asthma and Allergy Research Center at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, said that a 16-week study funded by the Childhood Asthma Research and Education (CARE) network, a component of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, found that ICS administered twice daily to 100 asthmatic children between ages six and 17 was most effective in controlling moderate asthma.

The researchers involved in the multi-center, double-masked two-sequence crossover trial were led by Dr. Robert S. Zeiger of the University of California-San Diego.

"The study illustrates that treating asthmatic children with antileukotriene agents alone may not be enough for them to gain control of their asthma,” Dr. Bielory said. “The researchers found that fluticasone propionate and montelukast led to significant improvements in many facets of asthma control,“ Dr. Bielory said.

"The researchers also found strong evidence of greater mean improvements after patients were given treatment for eight weeks with an ICS compared to leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA).”

Patients taking ICS experienced more asthma control days (ACD) during which they had no daytime or night time asthma symptoms, along with better pulmonary responses and inflammatory biomarkers, Dr. Bielory noted. As a comparison, 29.3 percent of study participants had at least one more ACD per week during treatment with fluticasone than during treatment with montelukast (12.2 percent).

To arrange an interview with Dr. Bielory, call Tom Capezzuto at (973) 972-7273.