A new inhaled corticosteroid, ciclesonide, significantly reduces airway constriction triggered by exercise in people with asthma, according to a new report.

Ciclesonide (trade name Alvesco) has been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval. It achieves high local concentrations in the lungs with very little of the drug getting into the body, the authors explain in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Dr. Padmaja Subbarao from the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and colleagues evaluated the time course and degree of protection against exercise-induced airway constriction with different doses of inhaled ciclesonide, in 26 asthmatic individuals.

A significant reduction in the maximum drop in lung function with exercise was evident after one week of inhaled ciclesonide for all but the lowest dose, the researchers report, and significant improvements were seen with all doses by the second week of therapy.

At daily doses of 160 micrograms or 320 micrograms, there was continuing improvement in lung function over time, “and no plateau was seen in protective effect during three weeks of treatment, Dr. Subbarao’s team reports.

SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, May 2006.