Asthma is a disruptive disease that requires lifetime management and causes stressors on both children and parents, and it’s no different in Wisconsin, with 7.6% of children in Wisconsin living with asthma in 2011¹². The asthma prevalence rate is higher when looking at Dane County, where 17.3% of 7th - 12th graders currently have asthma at a rate higher than the statewide average of 12.4%¹³. It is clear that asthma is affecting the children at a high rate in Wisconsin.

But the Oral Bacterial Extract (ORBEX) Study aims to change that. The ORBEX Study is a three year study with the goal of identifying if a daily capsule of Broncho-Vaxom can help prevent or delay young children from developing asthma-like symptoms or wheezing. Broncho-Vaxom a is a capsule of inactive microbes that stimulate the immune system, similar to how a vaccine works, in order to increase the body’s natural defenses against a wide spectrum of respiratory pathogens. It has already been used by 43 million children in countries all over the world.

Participants in the trial will be randomly selected to either take inactive microbes via powder or a placebo via powder (non-active ingredients) for 10 consecutive days each month for two years, and then observed for one year. Modern life has decreased exposure to these naturally occurring microbes, which have resulted in immune systems that are more susceptible to the development of asthma. More information about Broncho-Vaxom can be found on the study page.