Four of the most popular asthma drugs are linked with an increased risk of asthma-related side effects, according to a new analysis released by the FDA. Higher risks of adverse events are actually seen in children taking these powerful medications.

The drugs identified were Serevent and Advair from GlaxoSmithKline, Foradil from Novartis and Schering-Plough and Symbicort from AstraZeneca. All of these drugs are know as long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABA’s). This particular class of drug has been the subject of an ongoing safety review.

The FDA’s analysis look at over 60,000 patients involved in 110 trials. Of these, about 43,000 patients were part of Serevent trials, with the rest being distributed among the other drugs. The analysis noted that there were 20 asthma-related deaths among the study subjects. Sixteen deaths occurred when patients were taking Serevent, while 4 patients died while taking non-LABA asthma medication.

The increased risk of death was only apparent when patients were not taking inhaled corticosteroids concurrently. Current asthma treatment guidelines recommend that LABA’s are taken with an inhaled corticosteroid.

LABA’s already carry significant warnings for patients. However, the FDA findings could result in more specific treatment instructions for patients and increased restrictions on some of these medications.

This analysis was done for an advisory committee tasked with discussing the safety of the LABA class of drugs. The advisory committee will vote on whether LABA’s will be marketed for either adults or children.

Asthma is a chronic condition which leads to breathing impairment. Airways become inflamed and lined with too much mucus. Asthma diagnosis is increasing rapidly in the developed world where as many as 1 in 4 kids are living with this disease.

Researchers continue to look for root causes of asthma. While it would be simple if a single cause was at the basis of the condition, it is more likely a variety of factors in combination that trigger it.

Source: eFluxMedia