A new oral medication for asthma sufferers could wipe out half of all business for inhaler manufacturers. Researchers, lead by Respiratory Research’s Professor David Price, completed a two-year long pragmatic trial into the “real-world effectiveness” of an orally administered leukotriene-receptor antagonist (LTRA). LTRA was compared with either an inhaled glucocorticoid for first-line asthma-controller therapy or a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) as add-on therapy in patients already receiving inhaled glucocorticoid therapy. And though the team found the LTRA was only equally effective as inhaled steroids, they concluded the pill was easier to administer and more patients preferred it.
