Therapeutic modulation of bronchial hyperreactivity

At the department of allergology is Göteborg clinical models have been developed for studies of the allergen-induced and histamine- (and metacholine-) induced bronchial hyperreactivity. The reproductability in carefully selected asthmatic patients has been found to be acceptable. One of the aims has been to evaluate the clinical effect of new anti-allergic drugs. The importance for clinical methods has increased as experimental studies in animals have been found to be of limited predicted value. In drugs such as KWD 2131 and ketotifen more than one fundamental mechanism of action has been found. In those drugs we have tried to separate the different anti-asthmatic effects by using bronchial histamine provocations in combination with allergen provocations. The presentation will include a discussion of the provocation models used and the results of clinical trials on anti-allergic drugs.