The protective effect of ketotifen in bronchial asthma.

Thirty-six patients with confirmed allergic bronchial asthma were divided into 3 parallel groups and treated with ketotifen 1 mg b.i.d. (Group I), ketotifen 2 mg b.i.d. (Group II), and clemastine 1 mg b.i.d. (Group III) respectively for 6 months. Nine out of 12 patients in Group I and 10 out of 12 in Group II experienced a statistically significant improvement in dyspnoea and in pulmonary function (Tiffeneau test). Likewise there was a marked reduction in the number, severity and average duration (minutes per week) of asthmatic attacks. By the 12th week, 8 out of 12 patients in the clemastine group had dropped out because of inefficacy. Ketotifen was very well tolerated by all the patients. In both ketotifen groups pathological eosinophil counts returned to normal during treatment. It can be concluded that ketotifen is effective in the long-term prophylaxis of bronchial asthma.