RESULTS	In 455 patients with mild asthma who had a forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 2.96 liters ( 88.36 % of the predicted value ) , the morning peak expiratory flow rate during the last 2 weeks of the 6-month treatment was higher ( P = 0.04 ) and the number of exacerbations during the 6-month treatment was lower ( P = 0.002 ) in the as-needed combination therapy group than in the as-needed albuterol therapy group , but the values in the as-needed combination therapy group were not significantly different from those in the groups receiving regular beclomethasone therapy or regular combination therapy .\