For years, asthma specialists have debated whether a commonly used drug salmeterol can make the disease worse.

NPR: Study Sends New Warning on Asthma Drugs

The most recent analysis, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, reports that salmeterol increases the risk of hospitalization for any form of asthma.

NPR: Study Sends New Warning on Asthma Drugs

The study showed that by substituting salmeterol for an alternative anti-inflammatory medicine, montelukast, outcomes for severely asthmatic children with the arginine-16 gene variant were substantially improved.

BBC: Is this the shape of medicine to come?

Asthma patients taking Advair and other drugs containing salmeterol are advised to monitor their symptoms closely and to have a clear plan to seek help if their symptoms get worse.

NPR: Study Sends New Warning on Asthma Drugs

The research, carried out by Prof Somnath Mukhopadhyay, at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and colleagues at the University of Dundee, focuses on the substantial minority of severely asthmatic children who respond poorly to the leading conventional drug treatment, Salmeterol.

BBC: Is this the shape of medicine to come?