A review of some recent clinical studies with nedocromil sodium.

Clinical trials reported in these proceedings have shown that nedocromil sodium is an effective antiasthmatic agent. Preclinical studies and the results of the worldwide clinical study program have also shown that nedocromil sodium is a very safe drug. Although it is anticipated that a new drug will perform better than placebo, perhaps a more critical assessment of efficacy is how the drug compares with other currently used agents. Nedocromil sodium has been directly compared with all of the antiasthmatic medications currently used in the United States including theophylline, beta-adrenergic agents, inhaled corticosteroids, and cromolyn sodium. The results of these studies indicate that for the treatment of mild-to-moderate asthma, nedocromil sodium provides a safe and clinically effective antiinflammatory addition to the physician's armamentarium of antiasthma drugs.