Alberto Contador tests positive for asthma drug during 2010 Tour de France – Examiner.com


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Alberto Contador tests positive for asthma drug during 2010 Tour de France
Examiner.com
Three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has tested positive for bronchodilator clenbuterol, a synthetic breathing drug often prescribed to asthma
Clenbuterol Found In Alberto ContadorGossip Jackal
Tour de France Winner Contador Fails Drug TestNBC San Diego
Clenbuterol blamed again as Contador snaredTimes of India
Bloomberg –Los Angeles Times –bettor.com (blog)
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National Study Shows Drug Effective for Hard-to-Control Asthma – WMTV

Information from the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics:

National Study Shows Drug Effective for Hard-to-Control Asthma

Madison, Wis. – An already available drug eases asthma in patients whose breathing problems persist while using inhaled corticosteroids, according to study results released this week.

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers who were part of the trial say the ability to prescribe tiotropium bromide – which is already prescribed for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) under the brand name Spiriva – adds another weapon to the fight against asthma.

“This is good news because sometimes patients don’t respond to low doses of inhaled corticosteroids, and raising the dose doesn’t always work, either,’’ says Dr. Christine Sorkness, professor of pharmacy at the UW School of Pharmacy. “This gives physicians another option for patients whose asthma is not being adequately controlled.”

Sorkness and Dr. Robert Lemanske, professor of pediatrics and medicine and head of the UW division of pediatric allergy, immunology, and rheumatology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, led the UW part of the trial, which enrolled 21 of the 210 adults who took part in the national study. Study results are being released this week in the New England Journal of Medicine and at the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Barcelona, Spain.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) supported the study, which compared three tactics for treating uncontrolled asthma. In one treatment, participants received a doubled dose of inhaled corticosteroids; in the second, inhaled corticosteroids were supplemented by a long-acting beta-agonist (salmeterol); and in the third, the inhaled corticosteroids were supplemented with a long-acting anticholinergic drug (tiotropium bromide). Anticholinergics block the nerves that tighten the muscles around the lungs’ airways whereas beta-agonists relax the muscles lining the breathing passages of the lungs.

Before the trial, the patients averaged 77 days per year when their asthma was under control and they didn’t need to use their albuterol rescue inhalers. Doubling corticosteroids gave patients another 19 symptom-free days on average, while adding tiotropium to low-dose corticosteroids gave them another 48, similar to the improvement they had on corticosteroids plus salmeterol. But increasing corticosteroids and using beta- agonists both have risks,

“This is the first study to explore adding an anticholinergic inhaler to low-dose inhaled corticosteroids,” said Dr. James Kiley, director of the NHLBI’s division of lung diseases. “The Asthma Clinical Research Network is designed to address exactly these kinds of practical and important management questions, with the ultimate goal of helping asthma patients.”

In addition to UW-Madison, other members of the Asthma Clinical Research Network who took part in this trial include: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; Columbia University, New York City; Duke University, Durham, N.C.; The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver; University of California, San Diego; University of California, San Francisco; Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis; and Wake Forest University. The data coordinating center is at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa.

GlaxoSmithKline, Theravance Combined Drug for COPD Shows Postitive Results – FOXBusiness


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GlaxoSmithKline, Theravance Combined Drug for COPD Shows Postitive Results
FOXBusiness
Wednesday that their combined treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and asthma posted strong results in a clinical study.
Glaxo, Theravance report Relovair safety dataBusinessWeek
GSK and Theravance announce combination ICS/LABA Phase II results in the MarketWatch (press release)
GlaxoSmithKline and Theravance announce positive phase II results for Relovair Proactive Investors USA & Canada
FierceBiotech –RTT News
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COPD drug may treat asthma, study says – Empowered News


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COPD drug may treat asthma, study says
Empowered News
Spiriva would be an alternative to standard asthma medications called long-acting beta-agonists such as Advair, Serevent, and Symbicort, which can sometimes
Study may give alternative to asthma sufferersDenver Post
Pharma co. in asthma flapBoston Herald
COPD Drug Spiriva (Tiotropium Bromide) Helps Patients With Poorly Controlled Medical News Today
Spreadit –The Associated Press –ABC7Chicago.com
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COPD Drug Spiriva (Tiotropium Bromide) Helps Patients With Poorly Controlled … – Medical News Today


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COPD Drug Spiriva (Tiotropium Bromide) Helps Patients With Poorly Controlled
Medical News Today
Spiriva (Tiotropium Bromide) added to low-dose inhaled corticosteroids was found to be effective in the treatment of adults with poorly controlled asthma,
Study may give alternative to asthma sufferersDenver Post
Pharma co. in asthma flapBoston Herald
Spiriva = Serevent In Asthma StudySpreadit
The Associated Press –ABC7Chicago.com –Healthy Living
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COPD Drug Effective for Some Asthmatics – CalorieLab Calorie Counter News


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COPD Drug Effective for Some Asthmatics
CalorieLab Calorie Counter News
Spiriva and an inhaled steroid improved breathing and controlling asthma better than two doses of the steroid in hard to treat cases.
Spiriva as good as Serevent in asthma studyThe Associated Press
Pfizer's Spiriva brings hope to asthma patientsHealthy Living
Early Trial Suggests COPD Drug Might Help Some AsthmaticsBusinessWeek
UPI.com –One News Page –Los Angeles Times
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Lung disease drug used to treat hard to control asthma – Health Jackal


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Lung disease drug used to treat hard to control asthma
Health Jackal
According to a new study the drug tiotropium, commonly used to treat lung disease, can also be used as an option to manage hard to control asthma.
Adding Another Drug Beats Doubling Dose in AsthmaMedPage Today
Common COPD drug may help treat hard-to-control asthmaKWMU
Possible alternate therapy for adults with poorly controlled asthmaEurekAlert (press release)

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Common COPD drug may help treat hard-to-control asthma – KWMU


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Common COPD drug may help treat hard-to-control asthma
KWMU
Washington University pulmonologist Dr. Mario Castro says that on average, study patients adding tiotropium to their usual asthma medication – an inhaled
Adding Another Drug Beats Doubling Dose in AsthmaMedPage Today
Early Trial Suggests COPD Drug Might Help Some AsthmaticsBusinessWeek
Possible alternate therapy for adults with poorly controlled asthmaEurekAlert (press release)
Los Angeles Times
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