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| |  ALA/ATS CONFERENCE: Accolate Reduces Acute Asthma Treatment CHICAGO, IL -- April 27, 1998 -- Combined data from an analysis of five clinical studies show that Zeneca Pharmaceuticals’ oral asthma controller therapy, Accolate(TM) (zafirlukast), may reduce the need for short courses of oral steroids in patients experiencing asthma attacks. The study results were presented today in an abstract at the American Lung Association/American Thoracic Society annual meeting in Chicago. "Our findings emphasise the role of Accolate as an effective first-line controller medication and indicate that Accolate may reduce the need for systemic corticosteroids for asthma exacerbations, which is an outcome of particular importance to asthma patients," said Susanna Hassall, clinical project manager, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. Guidelines released last year by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) establish Accolate as a treatment for long-term control in patients with mild, persistent asthma. Severe exacerbations are commonly managed by short courses of oral steroid treatment in patients with mild asthma. Thus, to further investigate the effect of a 20 mg, twice-daily dose of Accolate or the need for oral steroids in response to asthma exacerbations, researchers conducted a meta-analysis across five 13-week, multinational, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in patients previously receiving only beta2-agonists (reliever medications) as required. Overall, there was a statistically significant approximate halving in the risk of requiring oral steroid treatment for exacerbations in patients treated with Accolate compared with placebo-treated patients. The authors concluded that this emphasises the role of Accolate as an effective first-line agent for the treatment of asthma. More information on: Accolate and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals.
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