Asthma drugs help to prevent birth defects

From the Globe and Mail:
Women who have an asthma attack during the first three months of pregnancy put their babies at a greater risk of birth defects than asthmatic mothers who did not have a flare-up during that period, a new Canadian study shows.

The research, published in next month's issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that women who had uncontrolled asthma during this crucial period in fetal development were 48 per cent more likely to have a baby with at least one birth defect compared with those who were taking their medication.

"I hope it will encourage women to continue their treatment during pregnancy. This gives some evidence that stopping your treatment and then being more at risk of having an asthma attack puts your baby at risk of having a congenital malformation," Lucie Blais, an associate professor in pharmacy at the University of Montreal and lead author of the study, said in an interview yesterday. ...more

Antibiotic use before first birthday linked to asthma later in childhood: study

From the Montreal Gazette:
Children treated with antibiotics in their first year of life appear to have a significantly higher risk of developing asthma compared with babies not given the drugs, a Canadian study suggests.

The study, published in the June issue of the journal Chest, found that the risk for asthma doubled in tots receiving antibiotics for non-respiratory infections, as well as for youngsters who received multiple antibiotic courses and who did not live with a family dog before their first birthday.

"Antibiotics are prescribed mostly for respiratory tract infections, yet respiratory symptoms can be a sign of future asthma," said lead author Anita Kozyrskyj of the University of Manitoba. "This may make it difficult to attribute antibiotic use to asthma development." ...more

Procedure treats asthma without drugs

This isn't really a pharmacy story, but I thought it was an interesting new treatment.

From the Globe and Mail:
Asthma can be treated, safely and effectively, with a procedure that uses electromagnetic energy to alter problematic muscles in the airways, according to promising new Canadian research.

The procedure, known as bronchial thermoplasty, does not cure asthma, nor will it eliminate the ubiquitous inhaler, but it reduces symptoms and lessens the need for drugs to treat the condition.

It is the first non-drug treatment for the common breathing disorder, good news for sufferers who have trouble controlling their symptoms with traditional anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids. ...more