Boehringer asthma med breaks new ground

Nearly one in 10 adults in Connecticut ”“ 9.2 percent ”“ has asthma. Boehringer Ingelheim, the Danbury-based pharmaceutical company cited the figure as it announced the federally approved availability of its new Spiriva Respimat product for long-term asthma maintenance.

Boehringer said in announcing Federal Drug Administration approval of a once-a-day regimen of the drug that it is the first inhaled medicine approved for asthma in 10 years.

Along with the list of cautions and alerts that are familiar with all medicine rollouts and in medicine ads, Boehringer said the medicine”™s full effects might not be felt for several weeks. The company said it “is not a rescue medication.”

“Despite taking other daily maintenance treatments, many people with asthma continue to experience symptoms, including coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath,” said Michael B. Foggs, chief of allergy and immunology at Advocate Health Care in Chicago. “For these patients, adding Spiriva Respimat to maintenance controller therapy may help open airways to improve breathing and reduce the likelihood of asthma flare-ups or exacerbations.”

Boehringer cited a survey that found 55 percent of people with asthma taking at least one treatment still experienced symptoms.

Boehringer said Spiriva Respimat is from a new class of medications in asthma known as long-acting muscarinic antagonists, the first new class of inhaled medicine approved in more than 10 years for asthma. It is also prescribed for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder at a different dosage. It is not a steroid.