Zileuton [Leutrol®; Abbott], a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, is close to being considered for approval by the US FDA for use in patients with chronic asthma. The efficacy of zileuton was discussed in several presentations at the Annual International Meeting of the American Lung Association and the American Thoracic Society [Seattle, US; May, 1995]. Dr Eliot Israel from Boston, US, reported that zileuton reduces the need for corticosteroid rescue in patients with acute exacerbations of asthma. Findings from another study indicated that zileuton is as effective as theophylline in improving forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and reducing &bgr;-agonist use in patients with moderate asthma. In addition, the effects of zileuton in children with asthma have been investigated for the first time in a single-dose pharmacokinetic study.