Joint Treatment for Asthma?

Once again, Word on Health brings you news of a potential breakthrough in the treatment of asthma.  Researchers in Australia believe that a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could also help patients with asthma. According to a paper published in the Lancet the scientists from Down Under have identified two mutant genes that may predispose a person to asthma. After comparing 58,000 DNA samples of people living in Australia, Europe and the United States they found two regions of the DNA that are consistently different between asthmatics and non-asthmatics.”  One of the genes is also linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the researchers suggested that the drug tocilizumab, which is used to treat RA, may also work for asthma. Tocilizumab, marketed under the brand Actemra by Genentech, targets a certain molecule in the body called “interleukin-6 receptor” and reduces inflammation in RA patients. “Targeting interleukin-6 receptor may be a good strategy to reduce or prevent inflammation (in asthma) in the same way that it is used to prevent or reduce inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis,” suggests lead author Manuel Ferreira at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. Word on Health awaits further research to confirm if and how the drug may help asthma patients. We’ll bring you further news as we hear it.