Asthma is a disruptive disease that requires lifetime management and causes stressors on both children and parents, and it’s no different in Washington, DC, with 12.9% of children living with asthma in 2008¹⁹ and 4,689 emergency department visits for children who had an asthma-related illness. It is clear that asthma is affecting the children of Washington, DC at a higher rate than compared to others around the nation at the national rate of 8.6%.

But the Oral Bacterial Extract (ORBEX) Study aims to change that. The ORBEX Study is a three year study to identify if a daily capsule of Broncho-Vaxom can help prevent or delay young children from developing asthma-like symptoms or wheezing. Broncho-Vaxom is a 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 healthy (nonpathogenic) 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.