Long-acting muscarinic antagonists for the treatment of asthma in children—a new kid in town

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most prevalent chronic airway disease observed in children and adolescents, yet the variety of treatment options available for this age group is limited. With many factors influencing therapeutic efficacy including patient knowledge, adherence, and therapy choice as well as delivery device, it is important to have more options to tailor to individual patient needs. METHODS: This article is an overview of recent scientific articles using a systematic literature search in PubMed and specialist databases. RESULTS: Tiotropium is the first long-acting muscarinic antagonist to be licensed for treatment of asthma and has been demonstrated to be an effective add-on therapy across all age groups. Its therapeutic success in clinical trials resulted in Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency approval for asthma treatment in people over the age of 6 years in the US and EU. CONCLUSION: Further studies into the use of tiotropium, especially in younger children, could be of interest for future treatment decisions.