Sickle-cell anemia treatment

NEW YORK, July 24 (Praxis Press) Previous reports have documented that sodium cromoglicate has antisickling activity in vitro. Toppet and colleagues studied this antisickling activity in sickle-cell patients given sodium cromoglicate by inhalation or nasal route. Both treatments significantly decreased the percentage of sickle cells in venous blood; this effect was largely retained when the blood was deoxygenated. Sodium cromoglicate may be a clinically useful antisickling drug that has the added benefits of low toxicity and low cost.