New weapon against asthma found

Scientists are searching for new treatments for asthma

Scientists have identified a new class of drug which could dramatically boost the weaponry against asthma.

Early trials of an experimental drug, called DNK333, have shown it can reduce asthma symptoms.

A study in the European Respiratory Journal has found it blocks a chemical that causes the coughing, wheezing and mucus associated with the disease.

While much more research is needed, scientists believe the drug could offer a potent new weapon against asthma.

At the moment, doctors generally rely on steroids and relievers to treat people with asthma.

Scientists around the world are constantly looking for newer and more effective treatments.

This latest drug takes a different approach against asthma. It targets chemicals called tachykinins.

These are present in the nerves and in some immune cells in the lungs.

Studies have already shown that they can trigger inflammation and narrowing of the airways in people with asthma.

They have also been linked to mucus secretion and maybe even the coughing associated with the disease.

This latest drug aims to block the chemical and, therefore, reduce these symptoms.

Scientists in Belgium and the UK tested DNK333 on 19 men with mild asthma. They found that the drug helped to significantly reduce restriction in their lungs.

The researchers said their findings demonstrated that further trials should now be carried out on this drug with a view to making it available to patients within a few years.

Researchers at the University of Hull have also been looking at this drug.

Complex condition

Professor Martyn Partridge, chief medical adviser at the National Asthma Campaign, told BBC News Online: "Many different chemicals are involved in the production of the symptoms of asthma.

"At the present time this pot of chemicals tends to be controlled best by using a general anti-inflammatory medicine such as an inhaled steroid.

"This is a very effective method of controlling asthma but for many years there has been great interest in identifying each of the individual inflammatory chemicals or their components to see if we can switch off the asthma process more effectively.

"One such group of medicines are the anti-leukotrienes which are already available and on the market.

"This new compound is another attempt to isolate and block the action of an individual chemical responsible for part of the asthma process.

"It is far too early to see how effective this will be and generally speaking so far these sort of approaches have been rather less effective than the use of inhaled steroids.

"However we welcome all new advances which might help the 5 million people in the UK, and 300 million world wide who have asthma."