The Predicting Responses for Inhaled Corticosteroid Efficacy (PRICE) study was a follow-up study that looked for additional predictive biomarkers of response to inhaled corticosteroids. The study also evaluated whether short-term response to inhaled corticosteroids predicted asthma control and exacerbation rate, and whether it correlated with elastic recoil and upstream resistance. In this study, adults with a history of asthma underwent 6 weeks of ICS treatment, then were stratified by response and randomized in a double-blind fashion to continue ICS therapy or receive placebo for 16 weeks. ACRN investigators found that after 6 weeks of ICS therapy, patients with a good (15%) versus poor (less than 5%) increase in FEV1 experienced significantly better asthma control during continued ICS treatment. Interestingly, nitric oxide concentration in exhaled breath and airway sputum eosinophils, generally considered biomarkers of airway inflammation, were not significantly correlated with ICS treatment response. Explanation for this divergence in findings is unclear. PRICE results were presented at the May 2005 American Thoracic Society Annual Meeting