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| |  ACAAI: QVAR (Beclomethasone Dipropionate Extrafine Aerosol) Effective In Children With Asthma By Emma Hitt Special to DG News ORLANDO, FL -- November 18, 2001 -- QVAR (beclomethasone dipropionate extrafine aerosol) an inhaled corticosteroid hydrofluoroalkane, has a small particle size and is consequently effective in children. Anjuli Nayak, MD, an allergist in private practice in Normal, Illinois, United States, presented the results of her study Nov. 16 at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) 47th annual meeting, in Orlando, Florida. According to Nayak, QVAR has a mean particle size of 1.1 µm, which is smaller than the mean chlorofluorocarbon-beclomethasone dipropionate particle size of 3.5 µm. Dr. Nayak explained that QVAR would be equally effective in adults as in children, but it is especially suitable for children because of its small particle size and ability to penetrate the smaller bronchioles of children. To test the efficacy of HFA-BDP compared to placebo, Nayak and colleagues, conducted a 12-week, multicenter, double-blind study of HFA-BDP in 353 steroid-naïve children aged five to 12 years, who had mild to moderate symptomatic asthma. Patients were randomized to QVAR 100 or 200 µg per day, or to placebo and were assessed every two weeks. They found that treatment with QVAR at both doses resulted in a significant increase in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1, percent predicted) from baseline compared to placebo, beginning at week 4. There was also a greater improvement in mean change from baseline in FEV1 (percent predicted) at week 12 as the dose of QVAR increased. This improvement was paralleled by a significant decrease in daily beta-agonist use, according to the researchers. The researchers conclude that QVAR 100 to 200 µg per day provides effective asthma control in children. "HFA-BDP [QVAR] is a much more effective delivery system than any inhaled corticosteroid available today," Dr. Nayak told Doctor’s Guide. She also pointed out that the drug is safe. "There is no hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression, and it does not suppress cortisol levels," she said. The study was sponsored by the manufacturer of QVAR, 3M Pharmaceuticals, of St. Paul, Minnesota, United States.
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