The Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc., (MCAN), is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization established to address the complex and growing problem of pediatric asthma.
MCAN is funded by the Merck Company Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck & Co., Inc. The mission of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. is to support and advance evidence-based programs that improve the quality of life for children with asthma and their families and to reduce through dissemination of effective interventions the burden of the disease on them and society.
The mission of MCAN is anchored by these facts: 1) asthma is manageable when children and their families have access to and utilize quality healthcare services; and 2) there are evidence-based interventions that have proven effective in managing asthma symptoms as well as facilitating access to and utilization of the health care system.
We have past the two-year anniversary of the launch of the MCAN Program Sites. Now hundreds of children with asthma along with hundreds more family members and providers are participating in a variety of evidenced-based interventions being implemented by our grantees and their partners. It's a remarkable achievement especially when you consider that this is new territory. There is no roadmap for systematic adoption of interventions proven effective and no guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of integrating these interventions into existing health care systems and communities. MCAN Program Sites are helping to construct the roadmap by pioneering comprehensive community-based strategies to do just that for childhood asthma.
It is difficult and complex work. We are in the middle of this four-year translational research initiative and I salute and thank our talented MCAN "pioneers" for their dedication, outstanding work and progress toward the task at hand!
-- Floyd Malveaux
Air Pollution Affects Respiratory Health in Children with Asthma, April 2008
A new study reports that inner-city children with asthma may be particularly vulnerable to air pollution at levels below current air quality standards. The study, available online, analyzes the short-term effects of outdoor pollution levels on asthma symptoms and lung function in children. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Transitioning from CFC to HFA asthma metered dose inhalers (MDI) in 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has mandated that manufacturers of MDIs stop using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of 2008, because of their affect on the ozone layer. The CFCs are being replaced by hydrofluoroalkane (HFA), in an effort to protect our environment.
More information for patients, consumers and physicians is available from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology:
Issued by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) under the aegis of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at NIH, the updated guidelines build upon complete asthma guidelines issued in 1991 and 1997 and an update on selected topics released in 2002. The guidelines focus on four components of asthma care: measures to assess and monitor asthma, patient education, control of environmental factors and other conditions that can worsen asthma, and medications.
MCAN is funded by the Merck Company Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck & Co., Inc. The mission of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. is to support and advance evidence-based programs that improve the quality of life for children with asthma and their families and to reduce through dissemination of effective interventions the burden of the disease on them and society.
The mission of MCAN is anchored by these facts: 1) asthma is manageable when children and their families have access to and utilize quality healthcare services; and 2) there are evidence-based interventions that have proven effective in managing asthma symptoms as well as facilitating access to and utilization of the health care system. 
