Pharmacologic therapy for asthma: Overview and historical perspective

For the 30 years between 1967 and 1997, pharmacologic therapy of asthma has consisted primarily of five classes of drugs, beta(2)-agonists, anticholin ergics, theophyllines, cromones, and corticosteroids. The first four of the se classes of drugs have origins in herbal treatments going back 5000 or 60 00 years. This article briefly reviews the history of asthma pharmacotherap y up to the late 1990s and outlines a current approach to the pharmacothera py of asthma, which is but one component of an integrated overall approach to asthma treatment involving patient education and environmental control a s well. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1999;39:216-222 (C) 1999 the Amer ican College of Clinical Pharmacology.