New Drug, Fevipiprant, Would Likely Be The Future Treatment For Asthma

A study reveals a new drug for asthma for the first time in 20 years could decrease its symptoms and help to stop preventable asthma attacks as well as reduce the inflammation of the lungs. The said wonder drug for those who are suffering asthma is the Fevipiprant.

The study was printed in the journal of The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. It was led by Professor Chris Brightling, the lead author of the study and other colleagues, according to Independent. The research involves 60 patients, who have moderate or severe asthma. The researchers examined the effects on inflammation in the airways by gauging the sputum eosinophil count. This is the amount of a white blood cell, which increases with asthma, according to Independent.

The team gave half of the patients a placebo and some took Fevipiprant. Those who took the said new pill experienced a marked drop in the sputum eosinophil count, from an average of 5.4 percent to 1.1 percent over 12 weeks. Professor Brightling said that most treatments might improve some of these features of a disease, but with Fevipiprant improvements were seen with all of the types of tests. He further said that this new treatment, Fevipiprant, could likewise help to stop preventable asthma attacks, reduce hospital admissions and improve day-to-day symptoms--making it a "game changer" for future treatment.

One of the patients, who took part in the trial is Gaye Strokes, 54, from Grantham in Lincolnshire and had severe asthma for 16 years. He said that he knew straight away that he had been given the drug, he felt a completely different person. He continued he had more got and go, less wheezy and he felt really well after all those years, as noted by Telegraph. "For me, it felt like a complete wonder drug and I can't wait for it to be available because I really think it could make a huge difference to me," added Strokes.

Dr. Samantha Walker, the Director of Research and Policy at Asthma UK stated that this research shows massive promise and should be greeted with cautious optimism. The new drug is produced by Novartis, a pharmaceutical company and is currently in phase three trials.