Doxofylline Shows Promise as Steroid-Sparing Treatment for Pediatric Asthma
A recent pilot study conducted in Mexican children with asthma suggests that doxofylline, when used in conjunction with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), may offer a potential steroid-sparing effect. This study was published in the Journal Of Asthma by Sandra Diaz. and colleagues. The study, a 10-week open-label crossover trial, aimed to evaluate the efficacy of doxofylline as an ICS-sparing agent in pediatric asthma treatment.
In this study involving children aged 6 to 16 years who had been on ICS treatment for at least 8 weeks prior to enrollment, participants were divided into two groups. Group A received a combination of doxofylline and standard-dose budesonide (D + SDB) for the initial 4 weeks, followed by doxofylline along with reduced-dose budesonide (D + RDB) for the subsequent 4 weeks. Conversely, Group B received D + RDB initially, followed by D + SDB.
The clinical outcomes assessed included several key parameters such as lung function measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), asthma control, exacerbation frequency, and rescue medication (salbutamol) use.
The results demonstrated a potential benefit of combining doxofylline with ICS in pediatric asthma management. Notably, the combined therapy allowed for a reduction in the daily dose of ICS while maintaining lung function and improving asthma control (p = 0.008). The incidence of asthma exacerbations was low, with only one patient requiring systemic corticosteroid treatment. Moreover, a significant decrease in rescue medication usage was observed in patients receiving D + SDB during the initial 4-week period.
The findings from this pilot study suggest that doxofylline could serve as a promising steroid-sparing agent in the treatment of pediatric asthma. However, the study emphasizes the need for longer-term and controlled investigations to validate and further establish these observations.
These results bear potential implications for pediatric asthma management, hinting at the prospect of optimizing treatment regimens by incorporating doxofylline as an adjunct to ICS. The study’s promising outcomes pave the way for future research aimed at validating and expanding upon these preliminary findings.
Reference:
González-Díaz, S. N., Ansotegui, I. J., Macouzet-Sánchez, C., Acuña-Ortega, N., & de la Cruz-de la Cruz, C. Doxofylline as a steroid-sparing treatment in Mexican children with asthma. The Journal of Asthma: Official Journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma,2023:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/02770903.2023.2294909
