Inhaled glucocorticosteroids (steroids) are a mainstay of persistent asthma. However, steroids have side effects such as cataracts, increased infections (oral thrush) and decreases in bone density. Pharmaceutical companies have therefore tried to develop drugs that are 'steroid-sparing' - drugs that co-administered with steroids decrease the dose of steroids required. We have discovered that in a mouse asthma model, administration of one member of a class called drugs called 'beta-blockers' (nadolol), allows us to reduce the steroid dose by 90% without any loss in the anti-inflammatory ability.