What is Montelukast?

About Montelukast:

• It is an oral medication approved to be prescribed daily for long-term use as a “preventer” or “controller” of asthma attacks in adults and children at least 2 years old.
• Montelukast is also used to prevent bronchospasm (breathing difficulties)during exercise in adults and children 6 years of age and older.
• It is also used to help control the symptoms of allergies such as sneezing, stuffy, runny, and itchy nose.
• Developed by Merck and Co. (an American multinational pharmaceutical company), Montelukast was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 and marketed under the brand name ‘Singulair’.
• It helps improve asthma symptoms by blocking substances in the body called leukotrienes that cause inflammation and swelling.
• In 2020, the U.S. FDA added a ‘black box warning’ to montelukast, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, U.K., issued a health warning saying the drug could cause serious neuropsychiatric adverse effects.

Q1: What is Asthma?

Asthma is a major noncommunicable disease (NCD), affecting both children and adults, and is the most common chronic disease among children. Inflammation and narrowing of the small airways in the lungs cause asthma symptoms, which can be any combination of cough, wheeze, shortness of breath and chest tightness.

Source: Montelukast: overused and dangerous