A new study on a drug widely prescribed for asthma is binding itself to receptors in the brain and is linked to severe mental health issues and suicide, according to new research.
The Food and Drug Administration presented the preliminary results of a study on the asthma drug Singulair, which is sold generically as montelukast, to a “limited audience” at the American College of Toxicology meeting in Austin, Texas on Nov. 20, according to Reuters, which reviewed the scientific presentation.
Lab tests showed “significant binding” of the drug to multiple brain receptors, according to Jessica Oliphant, a deputy director at FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research.
However, research does not show whether the binding leads to the harmful side effects from the drug.
Earlier research also found that the medications penetrated the brains of rats.
However, more data is needed to confirm how the drug collects in the nervous system, according to the deputy director.