Godard P
Clinique des Maladies Respiratoires, Hôpital Universitaire Aiguelongue, Montpellier.
Rev Mal Respir. 1992;9 Suppl 1:R103-5.
When administered in a single dose, nedocromil can inhibit the effect of various stimuli: adenosine, SO2, cold air, smog, tachykinins, metabisulfite, exercise and antigen. When administered in a chronic way, this preparation diminishes bronchial hyperresponsiveness. In a clinical study done in England, nedocromil has improved asthma symptoms, PEFR and the need for inhaled beta-2-sympathomimetics. In a study carried out in Israel, nedocromil given for 6 weeks has resulted in an improvement in FEV1 of 0.5 l. In an international study, nedocromil has been preferred to placebo by asthmatic subjects and physicians. Nedocromil can therefore be proposed in: 1) mild asthma, as a long term treatment, with or without allergic causes; 2) in moderate asthma to improve symptoms; 3) in severe asthma to reduce the need for oral steroids (?) There is a need for widening the delivery system of nedocromil, which is only available in a metered-dose inhaler and to find more powerful formulations.