New drug shows promise for asthma sufferers

December 22, 1999
Web posted at: 9:47 p.m. EST (0247 GMT)

(CNN) -- An experimental drug, which works by reining in the body's immune system, may change the way asthma is treated, according to a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

The study found the drug, which is an anti-IgE, attacked asthma symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, swelling, hives and congestion, and allowed some patients to be weaned off steroid drugs, many of which have unwanted side effects.

"This is a novel approach, this is completely new, and it's the first new medicine or approach to treatment of asthma in at least five years, and probably the most revolutionary treatment we've ever had," said Dr. Michael Kaliner of the Institute for Asthma and Allergy.

	ASTHMA:
description risk symptoms treatment prevention Choose a link above to learn more about asthma. Source: WebMD

Asthmatics produce too much of the chemical IgE. The new medicine, which is administered by injection, contains a genetically-altered antibody made from human and mouse cells. So far it appears to have few side effects.

"This is a medicine that appears to be every bit as good or better than cortical steroids without the side effects," said Dr. Henry Milgrom of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.

In the United States, there are 17 million people who suffer from asthma, many of them children. Researchers say anti-IgE will not work for about 40 percent of sufferers because of their particular type of asthma.

The study was funded by Genentech, which is developing the antibody in a joint effort with Novartis Pharma AG and Tanox Biosystems, Inc. If anti-IgE receives approval from the Food and Drug Administration, it could be available sometime in the year 2001.

Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and Reuters contributed to this report.