Active clinical trials for "Asthma"

Ciclesonide is a novel inhaled corticosteroid for the treatment of asthma. In this study the effect of ciclesonide on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), exhaled nitric oxide (NO), and induced sputum inflammatory biomarkers will be evaluated.

The purpose of this study is to identify the causes of asthma that were not previously suspected, to better understand the effects of inhaled steroids on asthma and to identify new way to treat asthma.

This study will test whether pioglitazone hydrochloride (Actos (Registered Trademark) Registered Trademark) is effective for treating patients with asthma who do not respond to standard therapy. Experiments have shown that this drug, which is used to treat patients with diabetes, may be effective for treating asthma. People between 18 and 75 years of age who have had asthma for at least a1 year and whose symptoms are not well controlled with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids with or without long-acting bronchodilators may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with breathing tests, an allergy skin test, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram (ultrasound test of the heart), blood tests, and DEXA scan (an x-ray to measure bone thickness) to make sure they are eligible for the study. Then, participants undergo tests and procedures in the following study phases: Phase 1 Participants are given a device to measure and record their lung function and asthma symptoms at home each morning and night for 4 weeks before starting the study medication. Lung function is also measured at clinic visits before and after inhaling a bronchodilator medicine. Before starting the study medication, participants have a sputum induction (sputum collection test). For this test, the participants inhale a salt-water mist and are asked to collect sputum into a plastic cup. Phase II Participants are randomly selected to receive either pioglitazone hydrochloride or placebo (a look-alike pill with no active ingredient) once a day for 10 weeks. They return to the clinic after 2 weeks to repeat the tests done in Phase 1 and to monitor any reactions to the study drug or placebo. If there are no problems, the amount of medication is increased once, and then they return for follow-up evaluations every 2 weeks for 8 weeks. Pulmonary function tests, sputum collection and DEXA scan are repeated after 10 weeks on medication. Phase III Patients return for follow-up 1 month after stopping the medication or placebo to monitor their asthma. ...

The burden of childhood asthma is borne disproportionately by children living in poverty and in urban centers, many of whom are from communities of color and are at greater risk for environmental exposures. Given the complex interaction of physical and social environmental factors on childhood asthma, there have been increasing calls for comprehensive efforts using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. Community Action Against Asthma is a long standing CBPR partnership in Detroit, Michigan, composed of representatives from community-based organizations, health and human service agencies, and academia. All members of the partnership have been actively involved in the development of the CBPR project proposed here. The specific aims are: 1) to test the efficacy of air filters (AFs) separately and when combined with air conditioners (ACs) to reduce exposure to particulate matter (PM), over and above a standard community health worker home visit (standard) intervention; 2) to test the association between any reduction in PM exposure through the use of AFs separately and when combined with ACs over and above a standard intervention and health outcomes in children with asthma; 3) to elucidate the causal pathways by which any intervention-related improvements in children's asthma-related health status is occurring. One hundred and fifty households in Detroit, Michigan with at least one child with mild persistent or moderate to severe persistent asthma will be enrolled to participate in the study. Households will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: a standard household intervention (or control) group; an AF only intervention group; or an AF+AC intervention group. Extensive health and exposure measures will be undertaken during the course of the 12 -month intervention. Given the role of PM in children's asthma-related health and the higher concentrations of PM in microenvironments, there is a need to test the efficacy and efficiency of novel approaches to reducing indoor air pollutants. Doing so using a CBPR approach will enhance the relevance and ultimately the success of this proposed research.

The objective of this study is to evaluate if single subcutaneous (SC) doses of PL-3994, administered to patients with asthma can achieve a clinically meaningful increase in pulmonary function (Forced Expiratory Volume in one second: FEV1) while maintaining an acceptable safety profile. The study will characterize the bronchodilator effect, dose and safety of PL-3994 in a population of moderately severe, stable asthmatics following overnight withdrawal of beta-2 agonists.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether early childhood exposure to common allergens (substances that can trigger allergies and asthma) can prevent the development of asthma in children at high risk for developing the disease.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of RO5036505 in patients with inadequately controlled moderate to severe asthma. Patients will be randomized to receive either RO5036505 (380mg iv infusion once weekly) or placebo for 8 weeks. Patients will be on a standardized inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta-agonist regimen during study treatment. Target sample size is 50-100 individuals.

The purpose of this study is to test the effects of reducing indoor environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on unscheduled asthma visits, asthma symptoms, airway inflammation, and exposure to tobacco smoke measured using air nicotine dosimeters, serum and hair cotinine.

Non-adherence to controller medication is a common problem in children with Asthma, resulting in overuse of reliever medication, increased asthma symptoms, more frequent Asthma attacks, and increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Additionally, current absence of a gold standard to measure adherence forces clinicians and researchers to rely on patient-self report, which is notoriously inaccurate, to support clinical decision making. Many young patients suffer from both intentional and non-intentional non-adherence, thus an appropriate intervention must address both types. Current studies using electronic monitoring devices (EMDs) primarily focus on non-intentional non-adherence through reminder systems and thus are limited in their ability to engage patients for long-term behavior change. This trial addresses an important knowledge gap by evaluating whether EMDs with a combination of reminder system and patient education can prove to be effective in increasing adherence rates and can be used in clinical practice to achieve better asthma control and outcomes through improved patient and clinician engagement.

GSK2245035 belongs to a novel class of agonist drugs targeted at toll like receptors (TLR). T-helper cell 2 (Th2) driven inflammation is a key patho-physiological mechanism in allergic asthma. The clinical manifestations and inflammatory pathways of allergic asthma are sensitive to corticosteroid therapy. However, GSK2245035 reduces Th2-driven airway inflammation and thereby controls asthma symptoms. This study aims to determine whether intranasal GSK2245035 maintains biological and clinical control of allergic asthma using 'tapering of ICS' study design. This study will assess the efficacy and safety of GSK2245035 in subjects with allergic asthma treated with ICS. This will be a randomised, double-blind (sponsor open), placebo-controlled, parallel group, 8-week study treatment period. The study will consist of a screening period of up to approximately 5 weeks, blinded treatment period of 8 weeks, followed by a follow-up period of 7 weeks. A total of 60 subjects will be included in this study and duration of time for each subject will therefore be 141 days including screening and study ICS dose adjustment period. Diskus® is a registered trademark of GlaxoSmithKline group of companies.