PROVIDENCE – Emergency-medicine specialists at Rhode Island Hospital have joined a Phase II trial of an asthma treatment geared to patients who have suffered an asthma attack, aiming to protect them from an increased risk of death in the event of a relapse.
The 12-week trial is recruiting patients with acute asthma exacerbation, who have a history of asthma and often have to seek emergency treatment. It will test an investigational drug that reduces the body’s immune system cells that cause asthmatic airway inflammation.
About 108 patients at 15 to 20 sites across North America are to be recruited. Participants will get either a single IV dose of the investigational drug, or a placebo. They will then get follow-up instructions, peak flow meters to use at home and instructions for rescue medication use. •
