Sorry haven't had time to read digests of past few days so this may be
redundant.  Take it for what it's worth!

accolate (zafirlukast) is indicated for the prophylaxis and chronic tx of
asthma and children 12 years of age and older.

selectively blocks leukotrienes

At very high doses tumorigenic, mutagenic. Pregnancy category B. No
teratogenicity observed at high doses. Abortion at toxic
   dose levels in rats and monkeys. Accolate should be used during
pregnancy only if clearly needed.

Nursing mothers: Zafirlukast is excreted in breast milk.  Following
repeated 40 mg twice a day dosing in healthy women, average steady-state
concentrations of zafirlukast in breast milk were 50 ng/ml, compared to 255
ng/ml in plasma.  Because of the potential for tumorigenicity shown for
zafirlukast in mouse and rat studies and the enhanced sensitivity of
neonatal rats and dogs to the adverse effects of zafirlukast, Accolate
should not be administered to mothers who are breast-feeding.

Dose is 20mg BID 1 hr prior or 2 hours after meals, even if symptom free.
Not indicated for the use in the reversal of bronchospasm in acute asthma
attacks. From ad in journal for Accolate.

"Combined daily therapy of zafirukast (Misspelling?-easy to misspell!), a
leukotriene receptor antagonist, with as needed inhaled
B-agonists is more effective than B-agonists alone in tx of mild-moderate
asthma, a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found.

In a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial of 146 patients,
the combined daily regimen led to significantly more days without symptoms,
B-agonists or episodes of asthma.

The clinical effectiveness of this therapy, a potential alternative to
inhaled corticosteroids, provides further impetus to use regular
preventative therapy in patients with mild to moderate asthma."  (sorry-I
think I copied this out of AAP newsletter-not sure).  Sincerely, Pat in SNJ