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Australian Prescriber Vol. 22 No. 3 1999

Anti-leukotriene drugs - clinical applications

The anti-leukotrienes are new drugs for the treatment of asthma. As they can be taken by mouth, they may be helpful for people who cannot use an inhaler.

These drugs work by reducing the inflammation and the narrowing of the bronchial tubes which occur in asthma. As they act slowly, the anti-leukotrienes are not used for acute asthma attacks. They can be used to prevent attacks, but they are not more effective than the inhaled treatments used to prevent asthma. There is a possibility that these new drugs may help the small proportion of patients whose asthma is triggered by aspirin.