Have Asthma? Study Says Pills Work As Well As Inhaler
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New study says daily pill is as effective as an inhaler for treatment for asthma, which affects 25 million Americans–including many endurance athletes.
Rarely prescribed asthma pills made by drugmakers such as AstraZeneca and Merck are easier to use and just as effective as conventional inhaler treatments, according to research by British scientists.
In a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers tracked 650 patients with chronic asthma for two years and found the tablets, called leukotriene receptor antagonists or LTRAs, managed the disease as well as steroid inhalers.
Also, patients taking the pills were more likely to stick to their medication, the scientists said.
LTRAs — sold under the brand names Accolate by AstraZeneca and Singulair by Merck — have long been on the market as an alternative to steroid inhalers commonly used by asthmatics.
Read more: Reuters