Effect of ketotifen on childhood asthma: a double-blind study.

Ketotifen was administered orally, for 3 months, to 40 children aged 3-14 years with chronic extrinsic asthma of moderate severity in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. A significant clinical improvement with concomitant reduction of antiasthmatic drugs was found in the group receiving the active drug compared with the placebo group (p less than 0.05). The continued administration of ketotifen in an open study to a group of 21 children comprised of patients belonging to both groups (active-placebo) for a period of 15-18 months resulted in disappearance of symptoms in 10 children (47.6%) and moderate improvement in 7 (33.3%).