Anti-asthmatic agents

Inhaled corticosteroid use in infancy could stunt growth

A study of more than 12,000 infants found that those who have used inhaled corticosteroids to treat asthma up to the age of two years are more likely to be short for their age.…

Asthma therapies get personal

A new crop of biologic drugs promises to usher asthma treatment into the realm of personalised medicine.…

Clinical Pharmacist’s monthly news round-up: the top 10 in the past month

What has been happening in the world of pharmacy? Here’s our pick of must-read news from the past month.…

Inappropriate prescribing putting asthma patients’ lives at risk, warns charity

Thousands of patients with asthma in the UK are not being prescribed the right medication to keep their condition under control, finds an audit of GP practice records by the charity body Asthma UK.…

Asthma treatment failure linked to older age but not gender

Asthma patients aged 30 years and over are nearly twice as likely to experience treatment failure compared with younger sufferers.…

Pharmacies could play a role in reducing asthma-related deaths

Pharmacies in areas with high rates of hospital visits for asthma dispensed fewer preventive medicines compared with reliever drugs, US research has found.…

Inhaled corticosteroids: managing side effects

Inhaled corticosteroids are commonly prescribed but need careful management to minimise the risk of side effects.…

Mistakes made by patients using medical devices points to need for better training

A research team sought to identify the factors associated with incorrect use of metered-dose inhalers and epinephrine autoinjectors.…

Asthma: long-term management

Asthma management is based on a stepwise approach that should see medicines added or stopped based on patient symptoms.…

Asthma: pathophysiology, causes and diagnosis

Despite asthma affecting more than 5.4 million people in the UK, there is no gold standard test and diagnosis is based on signs and symptoms.…