Editorials Leukotriene receptor antagonists: useful in acute asthma?

The leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) constitute the first completely new class of drugs for use in asthma for 25 years. Their development was based on the recognition that cysteinyl leukotrienes exhibit biological activities that mimic some of the clinical features of asthma and are detectable in increased amounts in asthmatic patients, par-ticularly during exacerbations of asthma. Potent and specific LTRAs have been developed and marketed for use in the treatment of asthma in the UK. Their use by clinicians in the UK is usually as “add-on ” therapy in chronic asthma at steps 3, 4, or 5 of the BTS asthma guidelines. In this issue of Thorax Dockhorn et al compare the eVect of intravenous and oral administration of the LTRA mon-telukast on airway function.1 Their results confirm those o