– ipratropium bromide/albuterol metered-dose inhaler (CVT-MDI)
– albuterol hydrofluoroalkaline (ALB-HFA)
This article is a double-blind, crossover randomized controlled trial, with an objective to evaluate whether ipratropium bromide/albuterol metered-dose inhaler provides more effective acute relief of bronchospasm in moderate-to-severe asthma than albuterol hydrofluoroalkaline alone after 4 weeks, as an add-on to stable doses of their controller medications (ICD, LABA, leukotriene modifier, theophylline, anti IgE, oral corticosteroids).
Participants were patients with moderate-to-severe asthma, who had been diagnosed with asthma for greater than or equal to 1 year, who took either of the medication on the as needed bases for symptom relief. Prior to the crossover event, there was a 1-7-day washout period, where patients were instructed to refrain from using their study medication for at least 6 hours prior to the scheduled clinic visit. On days 1 and 29, patients underwent lung function testing with 6-hour serial spirometry. In addition to controller medications, acute reliever or rescue medications (SABA) were used to treat acute symptoms and exacerbations.
A total of 226 patients, greater than or equal to 18 years old, with inadequately controlled, moderate-to-severe asthma participated from the study centers in the United States.
In conclusion, VT-MDI significantly improved acute bronchodilation over ALB-HFA alone after 4 weeks of as-needed use for symptom relief, with a similar safety profile. According to the authors, in the future, additional studied will be useful to investigate the additive effects of these drugs in patients with all spectra of asthma severity.
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
