Asthma Treatment News
Researchers Aims to Develop a Vaccine to Cure Asthma Completely\
“Monash University researchers are working on a vaccine that could completely cure asthma brought on by house dust mite allergies. If successful, the vaccine would have the potential to cure sufferers in two to three doses. Allergies to house dust mites is a leading cause of asthma and the respiratory condition affects more than 2 million Australians and costs more than $600 million in health expenditure each year.” http://starglobaltribune.com/2011/allergy-medication-researches-developing-vaccine-for-the-complete-cure-of-asthma-7019
Now, people are allergic to dust mites and must frequently clean their environment in order to remove the microscopic creatures that cause allergic attacks. There were some medications that bring relief to the problem, but the medication must be taken regularly. Others reported that they have responded less well to the medications.
Professor El Mauseen believes that a vaccine for people who have allergy in house dust mite will have a series of health and financial benefits for the patient as well as to the government. Professor Mauseen is working with Professor Robyn O’Hehir, both from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Services. Professor Maureen said that their goal is to develop a vaccine that can completely bring in two or three doses. That means that those who suffer from a house dust mite allergy will have an easy breath of air from their final dose.
The cost of allergy from the Australians reach approximately seven billion dollar each year. Professor O’Hehir also made an important gain in developing a vaccine for those who have allergy in peanut. There is no specific treatment for the allergy in peanut; hence the only option for that are avoidance and the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis with adrenaline.
Laboratory testing has shown that genetic predisposition exists to be allergic to more than one allergen. Dr. Meeusen said that they have found out the being allergic to peanut also has likelihood in developing allergy to house dust mites. It is difficult to human to know how early the stage of allergy occurs. The scientists will see which models are going to build up allergy and which are not, that is to resolve the difference between the two.
Using the knowledge of normal vaccines for infectious diseases will help researchers to have a good understanding on how the allergy vaccines work in order to develop a more safe and effective product.
Effects of short-term treatment with atorvastatin in smokers with asthma – a randomized controlled trial
The immune modulating properties of statins may benefit smokers with asthma. We tested the hypothesis that short-term treatment with atorvastatin improves lung function or indices of asthma control in smokers with asthma.
Methods: Seventy one smokers with mild to moderate asthma were recruited to a randomized double-blind parallel group trial comparing treatment with atorvastatin (40 mg per day) versus placebo for 4 weeks.
After 4 weeks treatment inhaled beclometasone (400 ug per day) was added to both treatment arms for a further 4 weeks. The primary outcome was morning peak expiratory flow after 4 weeks treatment.
Secondary outcome measures included indices of asthma control and airway inflammation.
Results: At 4 weeks, there was no improvement in the atorvastatin group compared to the placebo group in morning peak expiratory flow [-10.67 L/min, 95% CI -38.70 to 17.37, p=0.449], but there was an improvement with atorvastatin in asthma quality of life score [0.52, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.87 p=0.005]. There was no significant improvement with atorvastatin and inhaled beclometasone compared to inhaled beclometasone alone in outcome measures at 8 weeks.
Conclusions: Short-term treatment with atorvastatin does not alter lung function but may improve asthma quality of life in smokers with mild to moderate asthma.
Reminder: MediciNova to Host Business Update Conference Call by Management on April 7, 2011
SAN DIEGO, April 7, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Market (Nasdaq:MNOV) and the Jasdaq Market of the Osaka Securities Exchange (Code Number: 4875), today announced details on its planned business update conference call conducted by management today, Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 4:30pm(Eastern).
Conference Call/Webcast Information
MediciNova will host a conference call and audio webcast to make a business update presentation followed by a question and answer session with members of management. Management on the call will include Dr. Yuichi Iwaki the President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Coffee the Chief Business Officer and Interim-Chief Financial Officer, and Dr. Kirk Johnson the Chief Scientific Officer. The call is scheduled for today, April 7th, at 4:30 P.M. Eastern time.
To participate in this call, dial 866-203-2528 (domestic), 617-213-8847 (international), passcode: 61797215, shortly before 4:30 P.M., Eastern time. For a limited period following the call, a replay of the call will be available, beginning at 7:30 P.M. Eastern time; the replay can be accessed by calling 888-286-8010 (domestic), 617-801-6888 (international), passcode: 52603635. The audio webcast will be available on MediciNova’s investor relations website (http://investors.medicinova.com) for approximately 60 days following the call.
About MediciNova
MediciNova, Inc. is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company founded upon acquiring and developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of serious diseases with a commercial focus on the U.S. market. Through strategic alliances primarily with Japanese pharmaceutical companies, MediciNova holds rights to a diversified portfolio of clinical and preclinical product candidates, each of which MediciNova believes has a well-characterized and differentiated therapeutic profile, attractive commercial potential, and patent coverage of commercially adequate scope. MediciNova’s pipeline includes six clinical-stage compounds for the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, multiple sclerosis and other neurologic conditions, asthma, interstitial cystitis, solid tumor cancers, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, preterm labor and urinary incontinence and two preclinical-stage compounds for the treatment of thrombotic disorders. MediciNova’s current strategy is to focus on its two prioritized product candidates, MN-221, for the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, and Ibudilast (MN-166/AV411), for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, spinal cord injury, or drug addiction. Each drug candidate is involved in clinical trials under U.S. and Investigator INDs. MediciNova is engaged in strategic partnering discussions to support further development of the MN-221 and Ibudilast programs. Additionally, MediciNova will seek to monetize opportunistically its other pipeline candidates.
Don’t Let Seasonal Allergies Spoil Your Spring
The arrival of spring means warmer temperatures, open doors and windows, and the start of allergy season are all on the way. Instead of putting up with weeks of sniffling, sneezing, and itching eyes, try these tips from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology to keep your allergy symptoms under control.
This Article
Improved My Health
1
Changed My Life
Saved My Life
• Know your allergens – Your allergen is the thing you are allergic to. It could be pollen from certain plants that bloom in the spring, or it could be something that is around year ’round. More than two-thirds of all people who think they have spring allergies actually have allergies all year. Knowing what you are allergic to can help you decide when it’s time to start treatment. An allergist can determine what your allergens are and set up a plan to help you deal with them.
• Get the best meds – There are many over-the-counter (OTC) medications available that claim to be the best thing to treat allergies. If one treatment doesn’t work, you may be tempted to just keep buying and trying new things in the hope that something will do the job. Rather than spending money randomly, consider meeting with an allergy specialist who can isolate your allergen and prescribe the best medication to treat your symptoms. In general, prescription medications are better at treating a stuffy nose and inflammation in the sinuses. Another option that can provide long-term relief is immunotherapy. This treatment involves weekly allergy shots to help your body learn not to react to your allergen.
• Take meds on time – If you wait until your nose is stuffy and you are miserable to take allergy medications, you will have an uphill battle to feel better. If you know that your allergies kick in during the spring, start taking your medication before your symptoms can get a head start. Warm weather generally means the start of allergy season when plants release pollen and molds resume growing.
• Avoid your allergens – The less you are around your allergens, the less you will have symptoms. So stay indoors during the middle of the day when pollen counts are highest.