A review of once-daily delivery of anti-asthmatic drugs in children.
Determining which drug is suitable for, and which patient can benefit from, a once-daily dose of prophylactic treatment is important for practitioners who want to improve therapeutic compliance in children with asthma. According to the literature, once-daily delivery of cromolyn sodium, nedocromil or beclomethasone dipropionate must be avoided. On the other hand, switching from a twice-daily to a once-daily regimen is efficient and safe only in children with well-controlled asthma using nebulized or dry-powder budesonide, dry-powder fluticasone propionate, flunisolide, or sustained-release theophylline. Such information is not available for long-acting beta2-agonists, except for oral bambuterol. Initiating a once-daily treatment in previously untreated children can only be based on low doses of inhaled budesonide or on an oral drug, montelukast. Further studies in children with severe asthma or treated with metered-dose inhalers and spacer devices are required before recommending a once-daily drug delivery in such situations.
Dubus
Jean-Christophe
JC
Department of Paediatrics, CHU Timone-Enfants, Marseille, France. jdubus@mail.ap-hn.fr
Anhoj
Jacob
J
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003657:Decision Making; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011788:Quality of Life; D013997:Time Factors
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents