Asthmatx Presents Impact of Bronchial Thermoplasty on Allergy Practices at ACAAI Annu...( SUNNYVALE Calif. Nov. 9 /- Asthmatx I...),Health

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Asthmatx, Inc. presented the results of a series of studies investigating the effectiveness and safety of bronchial thermoplasty delivered by the Alair® System, and how this new procedure will impact allergy practices, this past weekend in a poster at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), in Miami Beach, Fla.

The poster, titled "Where Could Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) Fit Into Your Allergy Practice? Lessons Learned from Multiple Bronchial Thermoplasty Clinical Trials," highlighted the clinical results from three randomized clinical trials, which investigated bronchial thermoplasty's effectiveness as a treatment option for patients with severe asthma.

Bronchial thermoplasty is a non-drug procedure developed to treat adults with severe asthma and is designed to provide improved asthma quality of life and control that lasts for at least one year. Bronchial thermoplasty delivered by the Alair System uses thermal energy to reduce the amount of smooth muscle in the lungs, which is associated with airway constriction in asthma patients.

"We have now shown in numerous clinical trials that patients whose severe asthma is uncontrolled by standard medications can now experience clinically significant improvements in their asthma control and their quality of life following treatment with the Alair System," said Glen French, CEO of Asthmatx. "This poster demonstrates that allergists may soon have a new option to consider for their patients with severe asthma."

The poster noted that, while the risks of bronchial thermoplasty include transient worsening of asthma, patients on high doses of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators with impaired quality of life experience meaningful improvements in their overall asthma status. The poster authors concluded that allergists should consider referring appropriate patient
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