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Recent genetic testing research could result in the creation of personalized asthmatic medicines for younger patients.

By Anonymous on Jan 8, 2013

Researchers at the University of Dundee and the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), UK found that standard genetic testing would prevent a large number of asthmatic children from being given drugs that do not help their condition or make it worse. Around 150,000 children in the UK might be affected by this problem. For instance, the study discovered that the drug salmeterol which is used to control asthma in the long-term is inadequate for children with a genetic variant. Traditionally, salmeterol is the common drug for children whose asthma cannot be controlled with inhaled steroids.

This study follows earlier research which demonstrated that a specific genetic variant changes an asthmatic child’s response to drugs. Additionally, a prior study by this team showed that the traditional ‘blue’ inhaler is ineffective in relieving the symptoms of asthmatic children with a genetic variant.

MRC clinical professor of immunopharmacology at Southampton University Stephen Holgate who thought that this test should be available to doctors said: “While genetic changes that determine bronchodilator responses in asthma have been known for some time, this is a wonderful example of stratified or personalized medicine working its way into practice. While still a small trial, the results in the asthmatic children's response to the two treatments across a number of asthma outcomes are impressive.”

All 62 children in this study, published in the Journal of Clinical Science, possessed a genetic variant had missed school, seen a GP out-of-hours or was sent to hospital as a result of ineffective medication. This genetic variant which, is the arginine-16 genotype of the beta-2 receptor, is common for one in seven asthma sufferers. During the study, all children used their basic inhaler but divided into two groups that received salmeterol or montelukast.

Findings from this study indicate that children responded better to montelukast within three months as they were wheezing, coughing and using their inhaler less as well as being unlikely to experience their symptoms getting worse. In the beginning, 36% of children in the montelukast group used their inhaler every day but towards the end of the study, this number was reduced to half. The same occurrence cannot be said for the children in the salmeterol group.

Spokesperson from Asthma UK Malayka Rahman said: “We are keen to see more research into genes that affect responses to asthma treatments across different populations, as this exciting area of research has the potential to lead to the tailoring of better treatments for an individual based on their own genetic make-up; ultimately keeping more people out of hospital and preventing unnecessary asthma deaths in the long term.”

While this is an extremely exciting development, healthcare stakeholders would be right to conduct further collaborative research in this area. The road towards personalized medicine and patient-orientated treatment was never going to be easy.