It's a rush to the emergency room...someone with asthma who just can't breathe. "They're coughing um they've used their inhaler until it's empty...and it's a rescue therapy and it's just not working," says Dr. Jack Kelly, er doctor.
And even in the e-r, asthma can be difficult to treat. "We may give them all of the drugs that we can and they may just not respond, they may not open up their airways may not respond."
Dr. Kelly says most people don't understand how dangerous asthma can be. "Frankly it's a disease we see taking young people's lives every week."
Doctor Kelly says part of the problem is -there hasn't been a new treatment for asthma in years...
But that may change.
Kelly and his team at Albert Einstein Medical Center are testing a novel new compound. "This new IV medicine, which is a beta agunus that just like the rescue nebulizer, except it's IV, we're hoping that it's going to create a brand new delivery. So if we can get this drug in their veins that will go right to their lungs that it will actually hit the receptors better uh and be able to help to make their asthma better, hopefully to reduce admissions to the hospital, uh reduce intensive care admissions."
The new compound is being tested in the er as part of a phase 2 clinical trial. Doctors say the treatment is safe, now they want to know if it works.
Those who participate will get standard medications first...and only adults are eligible.
But kelly says preliminary data is promising and agreeing to be part of the trial could help doctors keep people alive. "We're hoping that some of these new ideas in asthma therapy in this particular novel compound, uh may actually help prevent asthmatics from getting to that dire endpoint."
