A study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that a combination of tiotropium bromide with a low dose of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) provides better asthma control than doubling the dose of ICS and is as effective as a salmeterol/ICS combination. Patients taking the tiotropium combination gained an additional 48 symptom-free days per year compared to an additional 19 symptom-free days gained by doubling the ICS dose. The study involved more than 200 adults with poorly controlled asthma. Read the NHBLI press release.