Allergy News

JAPAN - The proportion of schoolchildren suffering from asthma has more than doubled in the last 10 years to the highest level ever, an education ministry survey showed Thursday.

"In light of the increase not only in asthma but also in other types of allergies, the growth can be attributed to various factors, including air pollution and lifestyles," an Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry official said. "It's difficult to pinpoint a cause."

The preliminary figures are based on health checkup data for about 3.36 million children from kindergarten through high school across the country. The ministry conducted the research between April and June.

Continue reading "Percentage of asthmatic kids doubles in 10 years" »

LONDON (AFX) - Vectura Group PLC has struck a US collaboration and development deal with a 'leading international pharmaceutical company' for its generic combination asthma therapy, VR315.

In a statement, the British drug developer said it will share the profits from any eventual sales of the product, and could receive up to 63 mln usd in milestone payments.

The therapy is thought to be a copycat version of GlaxoSmithKline PLC's top-selling asthma drug Advair, which generated sales of 3 bln stg last year and will lose patent protection in around 2010.

Continue reading "Vectura signs US development deal for asthma therapy" »

ST. LOUIS — People with wheat allergies who have stayed away from beer now have a new option.

Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. today introduced Redbridge, which the company called the first nationally available sorghum beer. Starting today, Redbridge is available in restaurants and stores carrying organic products.

Sorghum is the primary ingredient in the beer from the makers of the nation's top-selling full-calorie and light beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Sorghum is a safe grain for those with wheat allergies. Anheuser-Busch is also marketing the beer as an alternative for those who choose wheat-free or gluten-free diets.

Continue reading "Brewery unveils beer for those with wheat allergies" »

The report also finds that primary care physicians vary from recommended guidelines to prescribe GlaxoSmithKline's Advair as first-line therapy in cases where it is recommended to start with an inhaled corticosteroid.

Continue reading "Half of Newly Diagnosed Asthma Patients Do Not Fill a Prescription for Treatment" »

BOSTON - Traveling to school should become a healthier experience for Massachusetts children after state officials make good on their pledge to reduce school bus exhaust emissions by 90 percent over the next three years. 

Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Ed Coletta said Monday that the state would spend $22.5 million over the next three years to install exhaust filters on all school buses and regional transit authority buses throughout Massachusetts. Roughly 8,000 school buses and about 600 regional transit buses will be retrofitted.

“It’s clearly going to be very beneficial,” Coletta said about reducing the amount of particulate-filled soot spewed by the buses’ diesel engines.

“Children tend to breathe more deeply than adults. They’re clearly at a very tender age where the emissions could impact them. This is an important piece to make sure they’re protected,” he said.

Continue reading "State to reduce emission on school buses by 90 percent" »

The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Maryland is tied with Oklahoma for the third-highest level of childhood asthma in the nation, among the 37 states that had information available.

About 11 percent of the state’s children had asthma in 2005, says “The State of Childhood Asthma” report.

Children with asthma miss school, are sent to the hospital and can die from struggling to breathe, states the report, which was released last week.

Continue reading "Environmental group says study links smog and child asthma" »

MedImmune has licensed an potential asthma treatment from a subsidiary of a Japanese company.

The Gaithersburg company will pay BioWa, a New Jersey subsidiary of Japan's Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, upfront, milestone and royalty payments for the rights to market the drug in all countries other than Japan and a few other Asian nations. BioWa will keep those rights.

MedImmune did not disclose the size of the payments it will make.

The drug, a monoclonal antibody under development, is in the first phase of clinical trials for asthma. It also might be used for other inflammatory diseases, company officials say.

Continue reading "MedImmune gets license to develop asthma drug" »

Seasons greetings. And gesundheit.

Christmas greenery, holiday flowers and yuletide fires can inflame allergies, causing itchy eyes, runny noses and skin rashes, experts warn. No wonder Rudolph's nose was red.

Most holiday allergies are minor, but for anyone with asthma and other lung conditions, they can cause serious breathing problems, says allergist James Seltzer, chair of the Indoor Allergy Committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Continue reading "If you have allergies, check this holiday list twice" »