Doxofylline as a steroid-sparing treatment in Mexican children with asthma.

Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the efficacy of doxofylline as an ICS-sparing agent in the treatment of Mexican children with asthma.

Methods: 10-week, open-label, crossover, pilot study, we examined the steroid-sparing effect of doxofylline in Mexican children with asthma. Patients aged 6-16 years treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) for at least 8 wk before enrollment were divided randomly into two groups at the baseline visit. Group A ( = 31) received doxofylline (18 mg/kg/day) plus standard-dose budesonide (D + SDB) for the first 4-week period followed by doxofylline plus reduced-dose budesonide (D + RDB) for the second 4-week period. Group B ( = 30) received D + RDB followed by D + SDB. Clinical outcomes assessed included lung function (forced expiratory volume; in 1 s, FEV1), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), asthma control, number of exacerbations and use of rescue medication (salbutamol).

Results: It was shown that combined use of doxofylline and ICS may allow children with asthma to reduce their daily dose of ICS while maintaining lung function and improving asthma control ( = 0.008). There were few asthma exacerbations and only one patient required treatment with systemic corticosteroids. Rescue medication use decreased significantly in patients receiving D + SDB during the first 4-week period.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that doxofylline may be a steroid-sparing treatment in asthma, but longer-term, controlled studies are needed to confirm these observations.