Allergy Articles

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), has featured data from the Asthma Intervention Research 2 (AIR2) clinical trial examining the safety and effectiveness of the Boston Scientific Alair® Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) System. The long-term data are based on a post-approval study of 162 BT-treated patients from the AIR2 Trial who were followed for a total of five years.

Key findings reported at five years following BT include:

• Reduction in the % of BT-treated patients experiencing severe exacerbations (compared to patients treated with a sham control) was maintained out to five years
  
• Over five years, 48 % average decrease observed in the rate of severe exacerbations in BT-treated patients compared to the year prior to receiving BT
  
• Over five years, 88% average decrease observed in the rate of emergency room (ER) visits for respiratory symptoms in BT-treated patients compared to the year prior to receiving BT
  
• Comparison of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images before BT and at five years post BT-treatment showed no structural changes in the airways due to BT of clinical significance
  
• No increase in hospitalisations for respiratory symptoms over the course of five years
  
• No increase in respiratory adverse events over the course of five years
  
• No difference in the percentage of patients experiencing severe exacerbations, ER visits and asthma symptoms over five years based on patient reported allergy status
  
• 85 % of patients who underwent BT treatment in the AIR2 Trial completed the five-year follow-up, demonstrating exceptionally strong patient retention for a study of this complexity and duration

To read the rest of this article please visit Action Against Allergy