Asthma treatment

511. Daily Mail, The (London, England) – January 21, 1998 DAILY MAIL: CITY & FINANCE: BEECHAM MEGA-PLAN TO CREATE A WORLD LEADER DRUGS giant SmithKline Beecham owned up yesterday, admitting it is talking to American Home Products about a possible merger which could create the largest healthcare company in the world. If it should happen, though, there are already worries that it might lead to effective control of this great British business shifting across the Atlantic. Perhaps 40pc of SB shares are already held in the United States. Ambitious SB chief executive, Wimbledon semi-finalist Jan Leschly, is based ….. The Dallas Morning News – January 20, 1998 Kids’ health hazards Childhood illnesses are increasing and getting harder to treat Diseses such as polio, diphtheria and measles, which once afflicted millions of children, have been virtually wiped out. But certain health threats to kids are on the rise. Here are some current threats, with information on how to protect your children from them: * Drug-resistant infections: It’s becoming more difficult for doctors to treat children with illnesses such as ear infections, sinusitis and pneumonia because some of the bacteria that cause these and other infections ….. The Arizona Daily Star – October 16, 1997 Ready, illing and able, Many not-so-healthy Tucsonans participate in clinical trials Depressed? Or perhaps suffering from athlete’s foot, hot flashes or unwanted facial hair? Then perhaps you, too, can be one of hundreds – nay, thousands – of Tucsonans currently involved in some sort of clinical trial. “This has become a cottage industry for Tucson, ” says allergist Jay Grossman, vice president of medical affairs at VIVRA Research Partners, which bills itself as the largest private respiratory research center in Arizona. In ….. Financial Times (London, England) – August 8, 1997 Companies and Finance: UK: Zeneca warns on cost of drug launches Health Care, Health Care. Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals. Strong growth of new product sales offset the impact of sterling to take first-half profits above analysts’ forecasts at Zeneca, the UK’s third largest pharmaceuticals company. However, the company warned that new drug launches would prove costly in the second half, and the shares rose only 6p to Pounds 20. 52 1/2p. Launch costs would reduce profit margins by between 2 and 2. 5 percentage points ….. . (OH) – August 4, 1997 BREATH OF FRESH AIR BEATING BACK ATTACKS IT’S AN UPHILL BATTLE, BUT ASTHMA CAN BE CONTROLLED. HOWEVER, THE DISEASE AFFECTS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS EACH YEAR, AND NO ONE’S SURE WHAT’S CAUSING IT. When Joanne Oswald’s asthma got bad, it was like a zillion tiny plastic bags smothering her lungs. Her attacks came daily during the peak allergy months of summer. The Hudson resident quit her job, stopped visiting friends and taking vacations. The air wasn’t safe out there. That was the old Joanne Oswald. This year, the 62-year-old woman celebrated her fourth anniversary without an asthma attack. Asthma is a debilitating disease that can be handled, but ….. Times, The (London, England) – August 4, 1997 Profits shaken at embattled NatWest, Companies NATWEST GROUP: All eyes will be on the beleaguered clearing bank tomorrow for all the wrong reasons. While rivals shine, NatWest’s interim results are expected to be poor after a profit warning on June 16, with the market focusing on the problems of NatWest Markets (NWM) and its Pounds 77 million “black hole” in the interest-rate options business. Lord Alexander of Weedon, chairman, and Derek Wanless, chief executive, have already taken some heat out ….. Times, The (London, England) – July 25, 1997 Salvesen a weaker target one year after Hays bid, Stock Market SHARES of Christian Salvesen , the logistics group, have fallen sharply in the year since Hays , a rival, dropped its 391p a share bid and City speculators say that could be the group’s undoing. The Salvesen price was picking up speed yesterday, rising 13p to 296 1/2 p, but remains well below the original offer price. The speculators know that Hays, 2 1/2 p off at 576p, is free to relaunch its assault within a few weeks and this time it may not meet such fierce …. 518. (PA) – June 10, 1997 BREATHING LESSONS NEW TREATMENTS FOR ASTHMA EMPHASIZE PREVENTING ATTACKS Diane Peterson’s family members are the faces among the startling statistics about asthma. Her husband and two sons are among 14 million Americans, including 4. 8 million children, who have asthma. The disease causes children to miss more than a million school days every year. Like many second-generation asthmatics, the Peterson boys, Bradley, 7, and Ross, 4, have asthma because of the genes passed to them by their father, Keith, 38, who was a severe asthmatic as a child ….. . (PA) – June 10, 1997 TYPES OF TREATMENT There are two basic types of asthma medications: Controllers, which prevent symptoms, and relievers, which relieve symptoms of attacks. Controllers help reduce airway inflammation. If used effectively, they should eliminate or reduce the need for relievers. The biggest advance on this front is the introduction of inhaled steroids. These anti-inflammatory drugs are inhaled directly into the airways and produce few or no side effects. They are marketed under such brand names as ….. – May 26, 1997 Yearning to Breathe Free, With new drugs and devices, asthmatics avoid attacks – and even play soccer. BACK IN THE DARK AGES of asthma care – like five or so years ago “managing” one’s asthma meant scrambling for a puff of bronchodilator as breathing suddenly became as arduous as sucking peanut butter through a straw. But lately doctors have been abandoning this “treat as needed” approach in favor of a preventive one. “The paradigm has shifted from being reactive to being proactive, ” says Dr. Stan Szeffler of ….