Tiotropium: efficacy and safety in pediatric bronchial asthma

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic lung diseases observed in children. According to the international and Russian guidelines, the long-term objectives of asthma treatment in children and adolescents are to achieve good symptom control, minimize the risk of asthma exacerbations, reduce hospital admissions, decrease the use of short-acting bronchodilators, reduce restrictions in the airflow and side effects, and ensure that normal activity levels are maintained. The asthma treatment is based on the use of inhaled corticosteroids as a backbone therapy and addition of adjunctive therapy if the disease control is poor or worsening. Tiotropium bromide is the first anticholinergic drug that has been approved for children and adults with poorly controlled asthma and is currently used as a treatment option for moderate to severe bronchial asthma. Randomized clinical trials in children and adolescents with persistent bronchial asthma showed high efficacy and safety of tiotropium. The addition of tiotropium in the form of 2 inhalations of 2.5 μg once a day to the bronchial asthma therapy in children over 6 years old, including medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids, is a preferred and safe option to increase the therapy coverage compared to an increase of a dose of inhaled corticosteroids to high levels, regardless of the disease phenotype (In atopic, non-atopic bronchial asthma, bronchial asthma with obesity, etc.). Tiotropium adjunctive therapy may also be a therapeutic option for children using inhaled corticosteroids, who have asthma that does not respond well to long-acting β2-agonist therapy, or for those, who are worried about the safety of long-acting β2-agonists.