Asthma Pill 'Promising' for People with Severe Symptoms

A ray of hope for asthma patients

Initial study in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal proposed that adults suffering from severe asthma could be helped with an experimental pill. The drug called Fevipiprant was administered to these patients for a trial and reduced the inflammation within their airways. There were patients with uncontrolled asthma, who felt that their symptoms had improved.

Charity Asthma UK mentioned that the experimental tests revealed great potential and also be met with careful positivity. In UK, over five million people suffer from asthma, prolonged conditions that cause an affect to air passage in the lungs, causing cough, gasping and a feeling of breathlessness. For majority of the people, getting the right treatment can help keep asthma in check, like having inhalers. But, for some, the symptoms could be persistent.

Less puffing and panting

In 2014, according to Asthma UK, around 1,216 people lost their lives due to asthma. Likewise, flare ups can be fatal. In this experiment, specialist observed around 60 patients whose cases were severe regardless of consuming steroid inhalers, and visiting specialists.

Half of these people were administered the Fevipiprant pill for a duration of three months in addition to their standard prescribed medications, while the other half took their normal medication along with a placebo pill. Scientists found that, in patients who consumed Fevipiprant, there were fewer inflammatory blood cells in their air network and phlegm, as compared to those on normal medication, and proved to be a possible key sign of asthma. Gaye stokes has been suffering from asthma for the past 16 years quoted that ‘he knew immediately that he had been administered with that drug.

He felt totally different and was outgoing. He also felt less gasps and for the first time in many years he felt like he was fine.’ He also added that once she discontinued with the drug her asthma worsened again. Therefore, scientists say that this is yet an early evidence of the theory study and greater, prolonged trials will need to be conducted to find out if the pill can really come to aid to patient in daily life.

 In the interim, at Asthma UK, Dr Samantha Walker stated that, ‘ As this experiment is fixated on people who enhance the condition in later life, few of which we know can tussle with the efficiency required to use an inhaler, the likeliness of taking a pill instead of making use of an inhaler will be a very comfortable alternative.

There is a need for some more research for the same and there is still a long way yet to cover to see a pill for asthma made obtainable at pharmacy counters, then again it is truly a thrilling development.’ ‘Professor Chris Brightling’s group in Leicester offer convincing proof that the new tablet treatment has the capacity to decrease asthmatic inflammations, proliferating lung function and men asthma control in the severe group of people,’ said Professor Durham, a lung specialist, at the Royal Brompton

Hospital in London. He also mentioned that, ‘the data intensely supports additional studies to observe whether Fevipiprant possibly may reduce the occurrence of asthma attacks, dodge steroid tablet side effects and lessen NHS charges in the controlling of these severely ill asthma patients.