Experts: Immunotherapy & biologics are latest therapies to treat asthma

Nagpur: As asthma affects the airways and lungs, it’s a known fact that inhalers prove the best and safest immediate remedy to deal with it. But with advancements in life sciences, newer options like immunotherapy and biologics are now being increasingly used.
On World Asthma Day on May 2, city pulmonologists held an awareness meeting at the Press Club, during which they talked about the disease, its triggers, and latest treatment therapies.

Dr Vinit Niranjane said, “In majority of patients, asthma is triggered by allergy. We identify the source of the allergy and give a micro-dose of the same allergen on a regular basis. This controls allergic inflammation and symptoms in the long term.”
Dr Vikrant Deshmukh informed the audience about biologics treatment. “Many with severe asthma had to be given steroids. But there are ill-effects. To avoid these, biologics are now being used. These are injections, generally to be taken once a month,” he said.
Biologics are medicines made from living cells and proteins such as antibodies or gene therapies. Dr Deshmukh claimed biologics are powerful therapies because these can be targeted to specific actions in the body for the treatment of inflammatory diseases like asthma.
Dr Akash Balki said, “Be it inhalers or immunotherapy, asthma treatment is long-term. Asthma and a healthy worry-free life can coexist if we use the prescribed inhalers regularly along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”