Common asthma drug can reduce COVID hospitalizations by 90% – study

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A common asthma drug can dramatically reduce hospitalizations, symptoms and recovery time in patients with COVID-19 if taken up to a week after symptoms appear, researchers from Oxford University.

Inhaling the steroid budesonide reduced the need for urgent care or hospitalization by 90%, compared to using the usual treatment for patients with the virus, the Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the experts. from Oxford.

The first results, obtained after a 28-day study of 146 patients, showed that the volunteers recovered from the fever faster and had less persistent symptoms when treated with the steroid.

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Budesonide is sold as Pulmicort by AstraZeneca, which, along with the University of Oxford, has also produced a vaccine against the coronavirus.

“I am encouraged that a relatively safe, widely available, and well-researched drug… can impact the pressures we face during the pandemic,” said researcher Mona Bafadhel.

Researchers were made to take a closer look at the drug after noticing the few patients with chronic respiratory disease among those hospitalized with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic. People with respiratory problems are often prescribed inhaled steroids as treatment.

The results of the Oxford University research have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Screenshot of a video of a person using a Pulmicort inhaler. (Youtube)

AstraZeneca released figures on Thursday showing its net profits more than doubled last year to $ 3.2 billion thanks to strong sales of new cancer drugs.

The update did not include any current or expected benefits from AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, which is being rolled out worldwide.

However, the company said that “the most significant direct impacts of COVID-19 on the company’s portfolio” included reduced sales of the respiratory drug Pulmicort in China and lower global use of infused and injectable drugs such as Imfinzi and Fasenra.

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