Novel pharmacological approaches to the treatment of asthma: status and potential of therapeutic classes

Perhaps the best indicators of the diverse mechanisms that contribute to the pathology of asthma are the number and variety of targets that have been identified, largely through advances in immunology and molecular biology. Here, the authors summarize the rationale and preliminary outcomes for novel therapeutic approaches that have developed as a result of such advances. The review is focused primarily on novel small-molecule approaches rather than the improvements that have been made in existing asthma therapies or the development of biological agents.