PULMICORT RESPULES FOUND TO BE WELL-TOLERATED IN CHILDREN WITH SEVERE ASTHMA

Long-term treatment with Pulmicort Respules (budesonide inhalation suspension), an AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals product, was well-tolerated in children with severe, oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma inadequately controlled on previous therapy, according to a new study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

The open-label safety study evaluated 397 pediatric asthma patients between the ages of six months and eight years over the course of one and a half years. Doses of Pulmicort Respules were determined based on patient response to the medication. No unexpected adverse events were observed. The incidence of adverse events probably or possibly related to treatment was low.

The drug is delivered by a jet nebulizer. This type of nebulizer uses air pressure to turn the medicine into a mist that is then inhaled through a facemask or a mouthpiece. A compressor connected to the nebulizer controls the airflow to the facemask or the mouthpiece. This method may make delivery more consistent. Pulmicort Respules is the only nebulized inhaled corticosteroid approved in the U.S. for children with asthma as young as 12 months.