Monthly Update Pulmonary-Allergy, Dermatological, Gastrointestinal & Arthritis: Recent developments with investigational drugs potentially useful in the treatment of allergic and inflammatory disorders

Abstract

Investigational drugs that either inhibit the metabolism of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins and leukotrienes, or antagonise leukotriene receptors, continue to be evaluated clinically. The encouraging clinical results observed with these agents provide the best opportunity to realise novel chemical entities, which operate by specific and unique mechanisms of action, that are also potentially useful therapeutics for the treatment of allergic and inflammatory disorders [1,2].

Recently, a commentary on new drugs for asthma [3] and a report describing progress with investigational drugs for treating pulmonary and inflammatory diseases [4] have been published. In addition, the discovery of an ‘inducible’ form of cyclooxygenase, COX-2, has also stimulated a resurgence of interest to discover selective inhibitors of this enzyme [5,6].

The intent of this monthly update is to report the current status of investigational drugs that have been described previously [4], as well as to introduce novel chemical entities that have entered various stages of preclinical and clinical development.