In a trial funded by Asthma UK, Professor Neil Thomson and his team at the University of Glasgow, will test a drug commonly used to reduce cholesterol levels for its effect on asthma control.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins also have anti-inflammatory effects and have recently been used to reduce inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Statins might work by inhibiting the response of T lymphocytes, an important inflammatory cell involved in allergic responses.

Professor Thomson's initial studies have shown that this type of drug reduces inflammation in an experimental model of allergic asthma. A 22-week randomised controlled trial of more than fifty people with atopic asthma will follow these studies to test whether the drug atorvastatin, when taken alongside standard asthma therapies, improves asthma control.

During the trial, the effects of the statin treatment will be measured by monitoring asthma symptoms, lung function and markers of airway inflammation, as well as measuring levels of T cell activation. This proof of concept trial hopes to determine whether statin therapy, when used in conjunction with conventional asthma treatments, can improve asthma management.

Kate Richardson (K.richardson@admin.gla.ac.uk)

For more information contact the University Press Office on 0141 330 3535 or email pressoffice@gla.ac.uk.

First published: 22 August 2005