Two drugs are better than one when it comes to stopping asthma attacks in progress, a new clinical trial has found. The study, of more than 3,100 asthma patients, found that a two-drug “rescue” inhaler worked better than a standard inhaler in thwarting severe asthma exacerbations — helping some patients avoid trips to the hospital. The inhaler, which is not yet approved, contains two long-used asthma medications: albuterol and budesonide. Budesonide is a corticosteroid that controls the airway inflammation underlying asthma; people with the disease commonly use a daily inhaler containing a corticosteroid (one brand is Pulmicort) to prevent attacks of wheezing, coughing and breathlessness. To read the full story.
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