Prevention of wheeze-associated hospitalisation in pre-schoolers

Pre-school wheeze is one of the most common causes of hospital admission in young children in New Zealand, Australia and worldwide. Current prevention strategies are ineffective and there is a recognised need for new approaches.

OM-85 is an orally-administered bacterial lysate that stimulates immune responses associated with defence against viral infections. It reduces the excessive inflammation of respiratory mucosa that’s associated with wheezing episodes.

In placebo-controlled trials, OM-85 has been shown to reduce recurrent respiratory tract infections, compared to placebo, and to be well tolerated. Emerging evidence suggests OM-85 may prevent wheeze episodes in young children.

Larger studies are required to evaluate whether OM-85 reduces pre-school wheeze-related hospital admissions. To address this, Professor Grant and a team from New Zealand and Australia are conducting a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to address this critical knowledge gap.

A total of 2268 children will be enrolled. They will be between one and six years old with a history of wheeze and admitted to one of the 42 participating hospitals (including six in New Zealand), then randomly assigned 1:1 to receive OM-85 or placebo.

By supporting this New Zealand trial, Cure Kids is helping to ensure the findings can be used to improve health outcomes here, in Australia and around the world.