Past, Present and Future Therapeutics of Asthma: A Review

Abstract

The therapeutic history of asthma is divided into a period before and after the advent of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Before the advent of ICS, bronchodilators such as β₂-agonists and anti-cholinergic agents were the main drugs used for asthma therapies. ICS were firstly launched in the market in 1978. Their effectiveness and safety have been recognized over time. Consequently, ICS were positioned as gold standard drugs for asthma therapy in the 1980s in Europe and North America and in the late 1990s in Japan. This review addresses the paradigm shift of the drug therapy for asthma.