Asthma-sufferers and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. can breathe easier ”“ the Ridgefield-based company announced today its asthma treatment has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
Spiriva Respimat, the company’s product, is a long-term, once-daily, prescription maintenance treatment for asthma in people ages 12 and older.
Asthma, which affects more than 22 million people in the U.S., can cause a patient”™s airways to become inflamed and tighten, making it hard to breathe, according to Boehringer. One survey found 55 percent of people with asthma taking at least one treatment still experienced symptoms, the company said.
When asthma symptoms persist despite taking a daily maintenance treatment, adding Spiriva may help people breathe better and reduce attacks, according to the company. The approval of Spiriva establishes a new class of asthma medication known as long-acting muscarinic antagonists. Spiriva is steroid-free and works differently than a long-acting beta2 agonist.
Some patients with uncontrolled asthma, despite treatment, continue to experience symptoms, which can include coughing, wheezing, waking at night or shortness of breath, according to Dr. William Busse, professor of medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
“For patients who continue to experience these symptoms, Spiriva Respimat is a once-daily maintenance treatment that has been shown to provide additional bronchodilation to help patients breathe better and reduce asthma attacks,” Busse said.
