"We are seeing an increasingly worrying trend where chronic asthma sufferers, mainly children, are being treated solely by LABA drugs. LABA on its own is not safe and this monotherapy is neither supported by current evidence nor encouraged by the current British Thoracic Society guidelines," Vassiliou wrote.
The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning last year that LABA drugs may be related to asthma-linked deaths. "It is crucial the European Medicines Agency follow (this lead)," Dr Vassiliou said. "While there is provision in the British Thoracic Society guidelines for LABA drugs to be discontinued if they are not deemed useful after a trial period, this is not being reinforced. It is critical that current evidence on asthma drugs is incorporated in clinical practice."
