University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee scientists developing an asthma pill
The pill would replace the inhaler

A pill to replace inhalers could soon find its way to your medicine cabinet, as scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are working to make an asthma pill a reality.
"Rather than having a child go to school with an inhaler in their bag and they don't use it, if perhaps there is a pill taken in the morning or the evening that controls their symptoms we think that's a much better way, more reliable and compliant way, to treat the disease," said Dr. Doug Stafford, director of the Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery at UWM.
Stafford added that asthma is especially bad in Milwaukee.....

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Trial shows promising results for new medicine in treating severe asthma patients

A trial led by a McMaster University respirology professor shows promising results for a new medicine for severe asthma patients.
The results of the trial, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrate that patients treated with a potential new medicine and antibody, called benralizumab, were more than four times likely to reduce their usage of oral corticosteroids than those taking a placebo.
"The data is very impressive," said Dr. Parameswaran Nair, the study's lead investigator, professor of medicine at McMaster University, staff respirologist at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and an AllerGen NCE Investigator.....

Read more here: news-medical.net

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Vitamin D in pregnancy may prevent childhood asthma

A new study published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has found that taking Vitamin D supplements in pregnancy can positively modify the immune system of the newborn baby, which could help to protect against asthma and respiratory infections, a known risk factor for developing asthma in childhood.
The team of researchers from King's College London looked at the effect that taking a supplement of 4,400 IU vitamin D3 per day during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy versus the recommended daily intake (RDI) of 400 IU/day, had on the immune system of the newborn.....

Read more here: medicalxpress.com