|
Reviews
New Drugs for Asthma, Allergy and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a masterfully crafted text with the specific aim "to offer a state-of-the-art description of the exciting progress in research and development that is being made with new therapies for asthma, allergy, and COPD." The editors, Trevor Hansel and Peter Barnes, acknowledge that much has been written on these topics and state that their intention was to "link biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry with academic and clinical opinions." In addition, they wanted the information presented in a "concise and highly condensed" manner. The end result is a unique collection of up-to-date and (more importantly) clinically relevant information on the treatment of asthma, allergy, and COPD....
I think the editors met their primary objective. The primary focus is on current and future drugs for asthma, allergy, and COPD. The "ultra-concise" chapter format created a book that is useful in clinical practice because the information is current, accurate, and efficiently accessible. The plethora of figures and tables were well thought out and enhanced my understanding of the various topics. This book will be of benefit to practicing physicians, pulmonary specialists, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and nurses with a particular interest in pharmacology.
David Young, PharmD (University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah), Respiratory Care Vol. 47, No. 12, 2002
This book was a surprise, a very pleasant surprise.
Many books related to 'drug therapies' in fact turn out to be little more than advertisements for one approach or another depending on the sponsor. In contrast, this book turns out to be a superb overview of both classic drug and novel immunologic therapies in airway diseases of asthma, allergy, and COPD. This book covers the very latest issues with very up to date information. It has chapters covering the classical therapies such as steroids, leukotriene inhibitors, and beta-agonists, but even these more typical chapters tale on the issues of new approaches and their potential benefits and difficulties. Furthermore, the book has excellent sections on allergen and IgE directive therapy, T-cell modulation, and cytokine-directed therapies at the level of both cytokines and their receptors. It even has chapters on chromatic modification, antisense therapy, ribozyme therapy, and respirable antisense oligonucleotides. And the chapters are not compendiums but are short, to-the-point summaries with excellent illustration. Overall, this book provides an excellent overview of the gamut of present and future drug, immunologic, and molecular approaches to the management of asthma, allergy, and COPD. It is an excellent starting place for individuals to learn about the cutting edge of these therapeutic approaches.’
Andrew Saxon, Clinical Immunology, September 2001
‘... a unique arrangement of 14 major topic sections containing 81 individual chapters.
This publication is clothbound and has unusually fine paper, outstanding print quality, 72 tables, and 195 color illustrations. This uncommonly handsome presentation seems to justify its list price of USD 245.25. ....I was at first somewhat apprehensive about the many chapters exploring new and potential therapies of an immunologic nature in areas that are unfamiliar to me. However, I was pleased to discover short, concisely written chapters with excellent visuals, tables, and explanations. The authors of the individual chapters have indeed heeded the directions of their editors to produce something understandable for the practitioner, but also extend the subject matter further for those wishing to look for more information. In general, this book will appeal to those most interested in respiratory pharmacology – be it from a practical clinician's approach or a research scientist's view. After reading the book, I came away feeling that my "database" on current therapies was sound and I could now reach further into understanding some areas of drug research with which I was not familiar. I know I will refer to many of the chapters and use the diagrams to explain future therapies to my professional associates and students. This book will be a valuable reference for some time.’
Alan D. Barreuther (PharmD FASHP),The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
|
