Ridgefield-based Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals today announced that its asthma drug, Spiriva Respimat, is now available by prescription in U.S. pharmacies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a once-daily dose for the long-term maintenance treatment of asthma in people ages 12 and older.
Unlike other asthma daily maintenance treatments, Spiriva Respimat is from a new class of medications in asthma known as long-acting muscarinic antagonists, the first new class of inhaled medicine approved for asthma in over 10 years. It is steroid-free and works differently than other asthma treatments.
The drug is not a treatment for sudden asthma symptoms. In the treatment of asthma, the maximum benefits in lung function may take up to four to eight weeks of dosing.
According to the company, adding Spiriva Respimat to maintenance controller therapy may help open airways to improve breathing and reduce the likelihood of asthma flare-ups or exacerbations. It said one survey found 55 percent of people with asthma taking at least one treatment still experienced symptoms, which can have a negative impact on their ability to perform daily activities.
