Allergy and asthma proceedings :
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Allergy Asthma Proc · Nov 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialPairwise comparison of levalbuterol versus racemic albuterol in the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma.
The object of this study is a post hoc pairwise comparison of levalbuterol versus racemic albuterol for asthma in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The participants are patients > or =12 years of age (n = 362) with FEV1 45-70% of predicted. The patients received nebulized levalbuterol (0.63 or 1.25 mg), racemic albuterol (1.25 or 2.5 mg), or placebo t.i.d. for 4 weeks. ⋯ Active treatment groups demonstrated significant improvements compared with the placebo group (p < 0.05), except for AUC FEV1 in the racemic albuterol 1.25-mg group at week 4. Levalbuterol in the absence of the (S)-isomer provided greater bronchodilation than the same quantity of (R)-albuterol delivered as the racemate. These data suggest that (S)-albuterol may compromise the efficacy of (R)-albuterol.
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Allergy Asthma Proc · May 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialFurosemide plus albuterol compared with albuterol alone in children with acute asthma.
Several reports have shown that inhaled furosemide protects patients with asthma from different bronchoconstrictor agents. However, the effect of this widely used diuretic in acute exacerbation in adults is unproven. There are no reports of furosemide's therapeutic effect in acute asthma in children; thus, the objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the combined treatment of furosemide and albuterol in pediatric patients. ⋯ An increase in FEV1 of 22.8 +/- 4.3% (mean +/- SE) in the drug combination group was noted at 60 minutes, and an increase in FEV1 of 18.0 +/- 2.6% in the albuterol group was obtained at the same time. Although the increase in FEV1 was greater in the first group after 1 hour of treatment, this was not significant. These results suggest that inhaled furosemide does not have a synergistic effect with albuterol in the treatment of asthmatic exacerbations in children.
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Allergy Asthma Proc · May 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialSafety and efficacy of once-daily fexofenadine HCl in the treatment of autumn seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Fexofenadine HCl (Allegra, Telfast) is approved in the US for twice-daily dosing in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). A once-daily dose (already available in some countries outside the US) can improve patient compliance and health outcomes. This multicenter, placebo-controlled, 14-day US study was conducted to compare the safety and effectiveness of once-daily fexofenadine HCl with placebo in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe autumnal SAR symptoms. ⋯ There were no statistical differences in efficacy between the two fexofenadine doses, though the 180 mg dose showed a trend toward greater symptom relief. Incidence of adverse events was similar between fexofenadine and placebo groups (30.2% and 30.0%, respectively), with headache the most frequently reported adverse event (8.9% and 7.5%, respectively). In conclusion, once-daily fexofenadine HCl, 120 or 180 mg, is safe and effective in the treatment of autumnal SAR.