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Inhaled budesonide, a commonly used medication for asthma, appears to reduce the need for hospitalization for COVID-19, according to a study from the University of Oxford.
The researchers conducted a 28-day study of 148 patients, half of whom took 800 micrograms of inhaled budesonide, sold as AstraZeneca’s Pulmicort, twice a day.
The results suggest that inhaled budesonide reduced the risk of urgent care or hospitalization by 90% during the study period, the school said. The study also found that the drug had a “faster resolution of fever, symptoms and fewer lingering symptoms” after 28 days.
The University of Oxford said the trial was inspired by the fact that patients with chronic respiratory disease, who are often prescribed inhaled steroids, were under-represented among those who were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic.
The results have been published on the pre-print server medRxiv, and have not been peer reviewed.
“Vaccination programs are really exciting, but we know it will take some time to reach everyone across the world,” Prof. Mona Bafadhel, who led the trial, said in a statement. “I am encouraged that a relatively safe, widely available, and well-researched drug such as an inhaled steroid can impact the pressures we face during the pandemic.
The trial was funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Center and AstraZeneca, with which the University of Oxford co-created the COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222.
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