December 5, 2014
By Krystle Vermes, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
A recent review of scientific literature now shows that there may not be a difference in the efficacy of inhaled respiratory medicine linked to particle size. The information was announced today by GlaxoSmithKline at the British Thoracic Society Meeting.
In the past, studies have shown that the optimal particle size of an inhaled respiratory medicine is between 1 and 5 microns, although smaller particles are thought to deliver more uniform distribution. This new research shows that there were little clinical efficacy or safety benefits exhibited in asthma patients.
“Inhaled corticosteroids are the backbone of treatment for patients with persistent asthma, so the more we understand about these medicines and their relative benefits, the greater our ability to improve patient outcomes,” said Neil Barnes, global franchise medical head of respiratory at GlaxoSmithKline.
Details of the Review
The review looked at medicine containing fluticasone propionate, which has a “standard” particle size, and compared it to medicines including HFA beclomethasone dipropionate and ciclesonide, which have smaller particles. The researchers looked at adolescent, adult and pediatric data separately.
Researchers found that there were no significant differences between the efficacy endpoints. The findings also indicated that although there is a known variation in particle size in different medications, this has little impact on the overall clinical outcomes in patients.
“These data support the positive impact that treatment with the available ICS-treatments can have, but importantly what they also show is that although individual molecules have different characteristics, a small particle size does not offer any additional benefit for the majority of patients and should not drive treatment choice,” Barnes continued. “As clinicians it is important when making treatment decisions for our patients that we focus on the efficacy and safety offered by an individual medicine, not the relative particle size, which this analysis has shown confers no additional benefit.”
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes the airways to narrow, making it difficult for individuals to breathe. Although there have been advancements in treatment, more than half of patients find it difficult to control their symptoms on a regular basis. Risk factors for asthma include genetic make-up and the environment, as well as certain allergens.
