Current Allergy and Clinical Immunology - March 2008

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PRODUCT NEWSTHE VISUALISATION OF HYGENIC CLEANLINESSThe most impressive inventions have always been the simplest.The vacuum cleaner itself is a good example. NowMiele has gone one step further: a vacuum cleaner with anintegrated Allergotec hygiene sensor is the icing on the cake.The quality of the air we breathe fluctuates permanently onaccount of all kinds of outside influences. The higher theconcentration of micro-organisms in the air, the poorer thequality. They can trigger off respiratory problems and allergicresponses. These tiny particles settle on carpets, upholstery,curtains and bedding and ride piggy-back on ubiquitousdomestic dust.Now the time has come to welcome another world-first tothe Medicair range of products. The floorhead provided withthe S5280 Medicair vacuum cleaner now features theAllergotec hygiene sensor, a device which automaticallydetects particulate contamination levels. During vacuuming,a microprocessor monitors the particle count in the air intakeas an indication of the potential allergy burden. This informationis relayed to the user in the form of a ‘traffic-light’indicator using the colours red, amber and green. ‘Red’ –keep cleaning, ‘amber’ – almost clean and ‘green’ – you canmove on, the area vacuumed is now ‘hygienically cleaned’.In addition, the model also sports an Active HEPA filterwhich ensures that even the smallest particles stay in thedustbag and are not re-released into the room. As well asensuring superb levels of hygiene, the Active HEPA filteralso guarantees odour-free room air, thanks to its layer ofactivated charcoal. As the collar on Miele dustbags is selfclosingon removal from the dust compartment, personswho react highly sensitively to dust can rest assured that thedust stays where it belongs – in the dustbag!Automatic suction control allows the vacuum cleaner toadapt with ease to different floor coverings. The Allergotecfloorhead adapts to both carpeting and smooth floors bymeans of a footswitch at the transition from the one floortype to the other.Miele (Pty) Ltd South Africa, PO Box 69434,Bryanston 2021, tel 011-548-1900,Cape Town, tel 021 946 3148/9,E-mail: info@miele.co.za, www.miele.co.zaGlaxoSmithKlineFURTHER ACCEPTANCE FOLLOWSGLAXOSMITHKLINE’S SERETIDE PRICEREDUCTIONGlaxoSmithKline’s decision to reduce the price of itsflagship asthma medication, Seretide, is showingencouraging signs of success. Seretide is used in thetreatment of chronic asthma and was already one ofthe most prescribed chronic medications in SouthAfrica at the time of the 20% price reduction. Medicalschemes, as well as medical practitioners and healthcareprofessionals, are also starting to adopt Seretideas the medication of choice, now that it is moreaffordable. Medical institutions are following suit andthe cumulative effect is that more and more chronicasthma sufferers in South Africa are gaining accessto the medication.Following the price reduction, one of South Africa'sleading medical aid schemes, Medscheme, includedSeretide in its Restrictive Formulary from 1 February2006. The result is that all Medscheme-administeredasthma patients now have access to Seretide.Restrictive formularies are primarily used to determineprescriptive needs of the lower to middleincome groups, which means that the use of Seretideis likely to be extended to asthma sufferers who previouslywould have had no means of gaining accessto the medication. In the light of the Department ofHealth’s drive towards creating lower income medicalschemes, the inclusion of Seretide in a major healthscheme's Restrictive Formulary gains extra significance.It is still too early to ascertain the extent towhich chronic asthma sufferers in previously disadvantagedcommunities are now able to acquireSeretide, but as time elapses this should becomeeasier to determine.S3 SERETIDE® 50/100 ACCUHALER® - 33/21.5.4/0413SERETIDE® 50/250 ACCUHALER® - 33/21.5.4/0414SERETIDE® 50/500 ACCUHALER® - 33/21.5.4/0415SERETIDE® 25/50 INHALER - 35/21.5.4/0411SERETIDE® 25/125 INHALER - 35/21.5.4/0412SERETIDE® 25/250 INHALER - 35/21.5.4/0413.Composition: ACCUHALER® - Each blister contains a mixture of salmeterolxinafoate equivalent to 50 µg of salmeterol and microfine fluticasonepropionate (100 µg, 250 µg or 500 µg). Contains lactose asexcipient.INHALER- Each single actuation provides salmeterol xinafoate equivalentto 25 µg of salmeterol and 50, 125 or 250µg of fluticasone propionate.GlaxoSmithKline South Africa (Pty) Ltd; (Co. reg. no.1948/030135/07)Private Bag X173, Bryanston. 2021 Tel +27 11 745 6000. Fax +27 11745 7000. September 2005. For full prescribing information, pleasesee package insertFor more information, please visit www.gsk.com orcontact: Dudu Ndlovu, Head: Corporate Affairs, tel011-745-6101, Fax 011-388-6101,e-mail dudu.d.ndlovu@gsk.comCurrent Allergy & Clinical Immunology, March 2008 Vol 21, No. 1 57
PRODUCT NEWSNew Nestlé NAN H.A. 1 with PROTECTSTART TM and Nestlé NAN H.A. 2 withPROTECT PLUS TMNestlé Nutrition proudly presents the introduction of two new advanced premiuminfant formulas, that not only provide all the essential nutrients for babies' optimalphysical and mental development but also train and modulate their natural immunedefences to reduce the risk of allergies in those crucial first years of life.The alarming increases in recent decades of allergic diseases in children in bothWestern and developing countries, is a concern. This trend has also been reported inSouth Africa.Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months is the simplest and most effective prevention of allergies caused by foreignfood proteins. Mother's milk, with its immunogenicity and natural bifidogenic effect, actively promotes the simultaneousdevelopment of oral tolerance. For the infant at risk of developing allergies, where breastfeeding is not possible, an alternativeis the unique hypoallergenic infant formula, developed by the leaders in infant nutrition, Nestlé Nutrition.New Nestlé NAN H.A. 1 with PROTECT START TM is the only hypoallergenic starter formula with a unique nutrient combination,to meet the needs of infants from birth. It is designed primarily to support the establishment of a balanced immune systemand it is clinically proven to reduce the risk of developing allergies.PROTECT START TM is made up of:• OPTI PRO HA• Bifidogenic nutrient combinations• LCPUFA's long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DHA and ARAFor the infant older than 6 months, as a follow-up to New NAN H.A. 1, Nestlé introduces New NAN H.A.2 with PROTECT PLUS TM. Nestlé NAN H.A. 2 with PROTECT PLUS TM is a state-of-the-art hypoallergenic follow-upformula with BL-active cultures, to meet the needs of older infants.PROTECT PLUS TM is made up of:• OPTI PRO HA• BL active cultures• LCPUFA's long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DHA and ARAThese products are improved formulations, which replace the current NAN H.A. that you know and trust.For more information please contact Nestlé Consumer Services on 0860 09 6789 www.nnia.orgIgE testing in persistent coughIgE testing is helpful for GPs in determining those youngchildren with persistent cough who will and will not developasthma at age of 6 years.Cough is the main complaint in at least 13% of general practiceconsultations for children from birth to 4 years of age.Clinical parameters alone cannot identify the subgroup ofchildren for whom the risk of developing asthma is high, andtherefore if a special investigation could be found to have ahigh predictive effect, this would be of great benefit to theclinician.A study in The Netherlands of 752 children visiting 72 GPs,found that IgE testing was helpful for GPs in determiningthose young children with persistent cough who will and willnot develop asthma at age of 6 years.The aim of the study was to investigate the diagnostic addedvalue of allergen-specific IgE measurements to predictdevelopment of asthma at the age of 6 in young childrenwith persistent cough. A structured questionnaire and ablood sample at inclusion were used to construct a simplescoring formula including age at inclusion (3-4 years), wheezing,and family history of pollen allergy. A follow-up examinationwith lung function tests and questionnaires wasperformed at the age of 6 years.Serum total IgE and specific IgE for cat, dog, and house-dustmites were determined. The children with an IgE-positivestatus were matched to those with a negative status definedby age, sex, region (rural versus urban) and IgE antibody testing,and using the baseline criteria the researchers could categorisethe children into 16 groups. The range of predictivevalues for asthma development in these groups increasedfrom 6- 75% to 1-95% when IgE antibody testing wasincluded. Almost 13% of the group (all less than 4 years ofage) had an IgE-positive status for cat, dog, and/or housedustmites. In 3-year-old wheezing children without familyhistory of pollen allergy the probability of developing asthmaat the age of 6 was 48.1%. After testing for allergen-specificIgE the children could be categorised into an IgE-positivegroup with high risk (88.1%) and an IgE-negative group withlow risk (28.3%). The predictive values were below 5% innon-wheezing children with negative test results butincreased to 20-50%> if the tests were positive.The study concluded that the assessment of specific IgE toinhalants may be helpful in determining those children withpersistent cough (≥ 5 days) who will and who will not developasthma at the age of 6 years. In particular, IgE testing wasable to categorise children who wheeze into low- and highriskgroups.Eysink PED, ter Riet G, Aalberse RC, et al. Accuracy of specific IgE inthe prediction of asthma: development of a scoring formula for generalpractice. Br J Gen Pract 2005; 55: 125-3158 Current Allergy & Clinical Immunology, March 2008 Vol 21, No. 1
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