Antigen bronchial challenge and efficacy after 4 weeks of treatment with ketotifen and disodium cromoglycate.

Oral ketotifen (Zaditen) 1 mg twice daily was compared with inhaled disodium cromoglycate (DSCG; Lomudal) 20 mg four times a day in an open study with two matched groups of patients treated for protection against allergen-induced bronchoconstriction. 9 patients were treated with ketotifen and 9 patients with DSCG for 4 weeks. The comparison of the differences between the mean values at provocation, at the start of the study, and after a 4-week drug treatment shows that the drugs are equally effective on the forced expiratory volume at 1 s. Ketotifen is less effective on the vital capacity than DSCG. Patients' and investigator's assessment of tolerability and efficacy of the two therapies were similar. It is concluded that ketotifen is as effective as DSCG in protecting asthmatic patients antigen bronchial challenge and is tolerated as well as DSCG.