Inhaled budesonide, a drug commonly used for asthma, appeared to reduce the need for hospitalization for COVID-19. according to a study of Oxford University.
The researchers conducted a 28-day study with 148 patients, half of whom took 800 micrograms of inhaled budesonide, sold as AstraZeneca Pulmicort, twice a day.
The results suggested 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 persistent symptoms” after 28 days.
Oxford University said the trial was inspired by the fact that patients with chronic respiratory disease, who often receive inhaled steroids, were underrepresented among those hospitalized with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic.
The findings were posted to the prepress server medRxiv, and have not been peer reviewed.
“Vaccine programs are really exciting, but we know it will take a while to reach everyone around the world,” said Professor Mona Bafadhel, who led the trial, in a statement. “I am encouraged that a relatively safe, widely available and well-studied medicine, such as an inhaled steroid, can have an impact on the pressures we are experiencing 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 AZD1222 vaccine.