[A new anti-inflammatory--analgesic--antipyretic for the treatment of acute disease of the bronchi ]. / Un nuovo antiflogistico-analgesico-antipiretico nel trattamento delle affezioni acute delle vie bronchiali.

Sixty adult patients, 31 men and 29 women, aged 44 to 60, and affected by acute bronchitis of probable bacterial aetiology were randomly divided into 3 groups of 20 and treated respectively with: 1) morniflumate (one 700 mg tablet twice a day) + amoxicillin (one 1 g tablet twice a day); 2) feprazone (one 200 mg tablet twice a day) + amoxicillin (one 1 g tablet twice a day); 3) amoxicillin (one 1 g tablet twice a day). Mean therapy duration was 9 days. The action of the drugs under study was assessed by objective chest examination and by evaluating the modifications of cough intensity and frequency, chest pain expectorating difficulty, amount of expectoration, body temperature. The overall assessments were completed by side-effect recording and by laboratory examinations carried out at the beginning and end of the study. Checks were made regularly on admission, and in the 3rd, 5th, 7th and last day of therapy. The above mentioned parameters showed a quicker regression of bronchial inflammation in the subjects treated also with the antiinflammatory drug compared to those treated only with the antibiotic. Furthermore, in the subjects treated with morniflumate such improvement was more rapidly achieved compared to those who received feprazone. The analgesic and antipyretic effects of morniflumate were also remarkable. All tested drugs were well tolerated.

Azelastine in the prophylactic treatment of bronchial asthma: an Italian multicentre comparison with ketotifen.

The prophylactic effectiveness of the phthalazinone derivative, azelastine was compared with ketotifen. A total of 111 patients, aged 18-65 years, from 10 centres was entered into this randomized, double-blind study. All patients had reversible asthma. After 1 week on placebo, patients were allocated to either 8 mg/day azelastine once or twice daily, or to 1 mg ketotifen, twice daily, for a further 12 weeks. Azelastine was more effective in improving respiratory function (forced expiratory flow in 1 s and peak expiratory flow rate) when given in the once daily regimen, whereas clinical measures (number of weekly asthma attacks) were most improved by twice daily dosing. There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of azelastine and that of ketotifen. Treatments were equally well tolerated and a low incidence of side-effects was reported. In conclusion, 8 mg/day azelastine, in either a single or twice daily dosage regimen may be regarded as providing effective prophylaxis against bronchial asthma.