New research highlights dangers of bronchodilators

An analysis of 19 studies of asthma drugs like Advair and Serevent demonstrate that users run a substantially increased risk of hospitalization and death. Stanford University researcher Shelley Salpeter said that the high risks posed by bronchodilators was "unacceptable." It had been believed that only a relatively small number of people taking the drugs ran a genetic risk of an adverse reaction, but this new study raises the possibility that the drugs should be withdrawn due to significantly increased risk of severe side effects for a group of widely prescribed meds. The FDA had required black-box warnings on these drugs last fall. However, Advair alone may be responsible for 4,000 to 5,000 asthma deaths a year, the researchers maintain. GSK, which makes Advair, disputed the figures and countered that the CDC had been tracking a decline in asthma-related deaths for the past 10 years. "Source":[ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/05/AR2006060501126.ht ml]

---