Contact:
Michael Blash
Zeneca Pharmaceuticals
302-886-5465
[email protected]
Suzanne Ross
312-494-4252
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CLINICAL STUDY SHOWS 55% OF ASTHMA PATIENTS PREFER ACCOLATE OVER AN INHALED CORTICOSTEROID Researchers Also Found Nearly Half of Asthma Patients Could Not Properly Use Their Inhaler
CHICAGO-April 27, 1998-In a new, four-week, open-label clinical trial, 55 percent of asthma patients indicated that they preferred ACCOLATE (zafirlukast), the nonsteroid tablet from Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, over the most commonly used inhaled corticosteroid, beclomethasone dipropionate (200 or 250 mcg bid). Results of the study also indicated that nearly half of the patients studied had problems with inhaler technique at the start of the study, before training on proper inhaler techniques was initiated. All of the patients were taking inhaled corticosteroids before enrolling in the study. The data were presented today at the American Lung Association/American Thoracic Society annual meeting in Chicago.
"Our results show more than half of asthma patients express overall preference for ACCOLATE tablets versus 27 percent who preferred the inhaler," said Dr. N. Ringdal, Molde Hospital, Molde, Norway, and lead author of the study. A previous study showed over 80 percent compliance with therapy with ACCOLATE. Ringdal added, "With 44 percent of patients in our study not able to properly use their inhaler, the use of tablets may lead to improved medication compliance."
Investigators compared patient preference for ACCOLATE with an inhaled corticosteroid in a four-week crossover trial of 167 stable asthma patients who completed a preference questionnaire after receiving the two therapies. Eighteen percent of patients showed no preference for one therapy over the other.
BACKGROUND ON ACCOLATE
In November 1996, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals introduced ACCOLATE, a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA), which was the first product in the newest class of asthma drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration in nearly 25 years. Through March 1998, ACCOLATE was prescribed more than 2.3 million times to patients ages 12 years and older for the preventive and chronic treatment of asthma, making it the leading antileukotriene agent.
The introduction of this newest class of medications has had a positive impact on how physicians approach the management of asthma symptoms. LTRAs help to control asthma symptoms, rather than treating an attack when it occurs. Leukotrienes are chemicals produced within the body that can cause airway constriction, swelling, and influx of inflammatory cells in the lungs, all of which can contribute to the signs and symptoms of asthma. Therefore, blocking leukotrienes may inhibit their ability to cause asthma symptoms in many patients.
More than 14.5 million Americans live with asthma, a chronic, sometimes fatal, lung disease. ACCOLATE is an oral controller agent taken twice daily, even during symptom-free periods, either one hour before or two hours after meals, and should not be used to reverse a sudden asthma attack. ACCOLATE is generally well tolerated by most patients. Patients should consult with their doctors before changing their current asthma medications, if they are prescribed a blood thinner, if they are nursing, or if their medical condition worsens. Side effects may include headache, infection, and nausea.
Zeneca Pharmaceuticals is a business unit of Zeneca Inc., a $3.4 billion bioscience business with approximately 7,200 employees in the United States. Zeneca Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the U.K.-based Zeneca Group PLC (NYSE:ZEN), a major $8.6 billion international bioscience business engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals, agricultural and specialty chemical products, and the supply of health care services.
1. Chung KF, Kennelly JC, Summerton L, and Harris A. Compliance with an oral asthma treatment: electronic monitoring of twice daily dosing with zafirlukast. Abstract of the 16th International Congress of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Cancun, Mexico 19-24 October 1997. 2. Physician Drug & Diagnosis Audit (PDDA) and Source Prescription Audit (SPA), Weekly Retail Prescriptions, November 1996 - March 1998, Scott-Levin, a division of PMSI, Scott-Levin, Inc.
NOTE: For full prescribing information for ACCOLATE, please call Michael Blash at 302-886-5465 or access the World Wide Web at www.accolateinfo.com.
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