New target promises better asthma and allergy drugs

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists said on Friday they were a step closer to developing a new class of easy-to-take asthma and allergy drug, capable of tackling the underlying cause of disease rather than just the symptoms.

By targeting a protein called p110delta, researchers believe they can block allergic reactions before symptoms occur, yet avoid a widespread shut-down of the body's immune system.

Bart Vanhaesebroeck from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry said new research had proved the role of the protein in allergic reactions in mice, which would encourage drug firms to accelerate development of treatments.

Vanhaesebroeck and colleagues worked alongside Merck-Serono on the project, the results of which were published on Friday in the Journal of Immunology.

Other drugmakers -- including Pfizer Inc, Genentech Inc, Boehringer Ingelheim and biotech firms Piramed Pharma of Britain and U.S.-based Calistoga Pharmaceuticals -- were also interested in the area, Vanhaesebroeck said in a telephone interview.

"We are very hopeful that a drug for human patients can be developed in the very near future. This approach offers the potential for therapies for asthma and allergies that target the real causes, not just symptoms," he said.

Preclinical testing of experimental drugs for human use are expected to start in the near future, although it will still be several years before any product reaches the market.

Most existing treatments for asthma and allergies focus on reducing symptoms, like inflamed airways or a runny nose, which are caused by the immune system's over-reaction to allergens such as dust, insect bites or peanuts.