Sanofi antibiotic may alleviate asthma

Results from a multinational study published in the New England Journal of Medicine show that Sanofi’s telithromycin antibiotic, sold under the brand name Ketek, could help patients recover faster from an asthma attack.

The researchers found that 10 days after an attack, patients given the antibiotic had fewer symptoms than those taking placebo. However, when the scientists measured how much air each patient could exhale, they found no benefit in taking the drug. Ketek use was also correlated with feelings of nausea.

Nearly 300 adult patients with acute asthma attacks were recruited onto the study, which involved over 70 sites in Europe, New Zealand and the US. Participants were given the normal standard of treatment for acute asthma plus either a placebo or the Sanofi antibiotic.

After 10 days of treatment patient symptoms were measured. The researchers found that those taking telithromycin had nearly half the asthma symptoms of those on placebo.

Telithromycin is used for treating bacterial infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis, and is known to exert some anti-inflammatory effect. The researchers suggest that a further explanation for the findings may be linked to evidence that asthma attacks can be exacerbated by bacteria.