Inhaled Corticosteroid

BOSTON — Combined treatments were associated with reduced asthma exacerbations compared with short-acting beta agonists alone, based on a review presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

SAN ANTONIO — The lungs of patients with asthma who smoke begin to resemble those of patients with COPD, which may require changes in treatment, Brian Bizik, MS, PA-C, said at the 16th Annual Allergy, Asthma & Immunology CME Conference.

SAN DIEGO — Plasma metabolite profiles were significantly associated with cortisol levels among patients with asthma who use inhaled corticosteroids, according to a poster at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

SAN DIEGO — Maintenance and reliever therapy is underused among patients with moderate to severe asthma, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

Patients treated with allergen immunotherapy for pollen used less nasal inhaler medication during their first 5 years of treatment than patients who did not use immunotherapy, according to a study published in Allergy.

A medium inhaled corticosteroid dose plus a long-acting beta agonist was found to be the most beneficial step-up treatment option for children with uncontrolled asthma, according to a meta-analysis published in European Respiratory Journal.

GSK has stopped manufacturing its Flovent HFA and Flovent Diskus fluticasone propionate inhalers for asthma and has made authorized identical generic versions of these devices available instead.

From 2010 to 2018, a rising number of veterans with COPD received inhaled corticosteroid prescriptions as first-line therapy outside recommended indications, according to results published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Patients who take benralizumab for severe eosinophilic asthma can reduce their inhaled corticosteroid doses while maintaining asthma control for up to 48 weeks, according to a study published in The Lancet.

Income-based deductibles reduced public drug costs without any effect on medication use or adherence in patients with asthma and low incomes in British Columbia, according to a study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.