Efficacy of Ciclesonide Versus Placebo Administered Either as Once Daily or Twice Daily in Patients Treated Previously With an Inhaled Corticosteroid

Inclusion Criteria: * Males or females 12 years or older * History of persistent bronchial asthma for at least 6 months * Documented use of an inhaled steroid or a combination of an inhaled steroid/long-acting beta 2 agonist for at least 1 month before screening * At screening, FEV1 of 60 to 90% predicted or 70 to 95% predicted for either ICS or ICS/LABA use respectively.Reversibility of FEV1 by at least 12% and 200 ml post-bronchodilator * Be able to use oral inhalers * Non-smokers Exclusion Criteria: * History of life-threatening asthma * Other pulmonary diseases; URI within 4 weeks before screening * Use of systemic steroids within 1 month before screening or more than 3 times in previous 6 months * Beta-adrenergic blocking agent use * More than 2 in-patient hospitalizations or ER visits due to asthma exacerbations in the prior year before screening * Pregnant or breast-feeding females * Females of child-bearing potential not using adequate means of birth control * Clinically relevant cardiovascular, hepatic, neurologic, endocrine, or other major systemic disease * Abnormal clinical laboratory parameters that would limit participation in the study or interfere with interpretation of study results * History of drug or alcohol abuse * Treatment with any investigational product within 30 days prior to study entry