In Study, Heartburn Pills Don’t Aid Asthma

Heartburn drugs don’t improve asthma, a new study concludes. Many people with asthma have heartburn — so many that doctors thought the two conditions were related. Therefore, some people with asthma were given drugs for heartburn, even if they didn’t have it. These people should stop taking the drugs, the study authors said. The study included 412 people with poorly controlled asthma. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was given esomeprazole (Nexium). This is a type of heartburn drug called a proton pump inhibitor. The other group got dummy pills (placebos). They took the pills for six months. People who got Nexium had no improvement in symptoms, compared with those who got dummy pills. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press reported on it April 9.