Work

Inhaled Interferon: A Novel Treatment for Virus-induced Asthma?

Year: 2014

Type: editorial

Abstract: Virus infections play a critical role in both the inception and exacerbation of asthma (1). Over 80% of asthma exacerbations in children and more than half of asthma exacerbations in adults are associated with virus infections, most commonly rhinovirus (RV) (2). Conventional therapies are only partially effective in the prevention of asthma exacerbations, and strategies directed toward the virus itself and/or antiviral immune responses are currently unavailable to clinicians and their patients. In this issue of the Journal, Djukanovic and colleagues (pp. 145–154) report the results of a phase 2 clinical trial examining the efficacy of inhaled interferon (IFN)-β (SNG-001) for the prevention and treatment of asthma symptoms associated with upper respiratory virus infections in adults with asthma (3).

Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201406-1131ed

Author: Daniel J. Jackson

Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Language: English

Topic: Asthma and respiratory diseases

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences