What role for ciclesonide in asthma?
Inhaled corticosteroid therapy is an important part of asthma management.1 In England last year, over 8.4 million prescriptions for an inhaled corticosteroid (not including combination products) were dispensed in the community, at a total net cost to the NHS of around pound138 million.2 Most of these prescriptions were for beclometasone dipropionate (79% of items, pound81million); fluticasone propionate and budesonide accounted for 11% (pound30 million) and 9% (pound25 million), respectively. Around 0.3% of items were for ciclesonide (Alvesco-Altana Pharma), a newer inhaled corticosteroid. Here we consider whether ciclesonide offers any advantages over other, more established inhaled corticosteroids.
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011282:Pregnenediones / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D011282:Pregnenediones; C120481:ciclesonide