A Breath Of Fresh Air! Breakthrough in Cure For Asthma

Scientists have made an “incredibly exciting” breakthrough for hundreds of thousands of people who suffer from asthma.

15:37 23 April 2015

Scientists have found made a breakthrough in curing asthma; using existing drugs for people with brittle bones. However, more tests are needed to ensure that the treatment is safe to treat the lungs of asthma patients. The scientists described the discovery as “incredibly exciting” that could lead to the creation of new drugs to treat people with chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

 

One of the researchers, Professor Daniela Riccardi, from Cardiff University School of Biosciences, said: “If we can prove that calcilytics are safe when administered directly to the lung in people, then in five years we could be in a position to treat patients and potentially stop asthma from happening in the first place.”

 

Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and policy at Asthma UK, said: “This hugely exciting discovery enables us, for the first time, to tackle the underlying causes of asthma symptoms.

 

“Five per cent of people with asthma don't respond to current treatments so research breakthroughs could be life changing for hundreds of thousands of people. If this research proves successful we may be just a few years away from a new treatment for asthma, and we urgently need further investment to take it further through clinical trials.”