Asthma drugs may have alternative function as pneumonia treatment

Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered that two drugs commonly used to treat asthma, Accolate and Singulair, may be able to offer treatment for those suffering from influenza pneumonia. The studies conducted in mice found that those that were suffering from developing pneumonia and were then treated with the two drugs did not develop influenza pneumonia.

This is a significant find because survival rates once pneumonia has progressed to influenza pneumonia are still low, despite modern medication; up to 40% of those patients suffering from the illness may die as a result.

In patients suffering from influenza pneumonia, the virus moves beyond the upper airways of the body to progress deep into the lungs. In serious cases, the virus is able infect alveolar epithelial cells in the lungs which are necessary for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange.

The immune system responds to the virus by attacking the infected cells but this means that the immune cells begin to destroy the alveoli – meaning that a patient’s condition can deteriorate rapidly. It is a process compounded by the lack of treatment options once the virus progresses into the lungs, where standard treatment antibiotics are unable to be effective.

"When we look at pandemic strains of influenza that have high mortality rates, one of the best adaptations of those pandemic viruses is their ability to infect these alveolar epithelial cells," explained researcher Amber Cardani. "It's one of the hallmarks for certain strains that cause the lethality in these pandemics."

The new discovery that asthma treatments essentially protect the alveolar epithelial cells from the virus could be used to form the basis for preventive measures when patients visit doctors with symptoms of influenza.

The next step in research is to trawl historically through 10 years of data to determine if there are previously available links to be made, in humans, of asthma medication and reduction in rates of infection. Beyond this, the researchers are also testing human cells with allergy and asthma medication; these steps occurring before any potential trials in human.

Ben Hargreaves