Anti-Inflammatory Drug Combo Significantly Improves Lung Function in Asthma Patients

Combining roflumilast and montelukast significantly improves asthma patients’ lung function, according to new research.

Patients with mild-to-moderate asthma can benefit from roflumilast—an anti-inflammatory drug used in preventing symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—but researchers were unsure of its effects in individuals with more severe asthma when combined with montelukast, another anti-inflammatory drug.

To determine the safety and efficiency of the combination, researchers randomized a group of 64 patients with inadequately controlled bronchial asthma to receive either sequence AB (500 μg of roflumilast and montelukast followed by placebo and 10 mg of montelukast) or sequence BA (placebo and 10 mg of montelukast followed by 500 μg of roflumilast and 10 mg of montelukast).

After a month follow-up, researchers found that roflumilast and montelukast significantly improved patients’ lung function as compared with montelukast and placebo.

In addition, the drug combination significantly decreased patients’ leukotriene E4 levels—a chemical that is linked to severe asthma attacks.

“The combination of roflumilast with montelukast compared with montelukast alone improved lung function and asthma control in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma and deserves further study for this indication,” researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Bateman ED, Goehring UM, Richard F, Watz H. Roflumilast combined with montelukast versus montelukast alone as add-on treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. Published online February 23, 2016. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2015.11.035.