Inhaled budesonide, a drug commonly used for asthma, seemed to reduce the need for hospitalization for COVID-19, according to a study from the University of Oxford.
Researchers conducted a 28-day study in 148 patients, half of whom took 800 micrograms of the inhaled budesonide, sold as AstraZeneca’s Pulmicort, twice daily.
The findings suggested that inhaled budesonide reduced the risk of emergency care or hospitalization by 90 percent within the study period, the school said. The study also found that after 28 days the drug had “faster resolution of fever, symptoms, and less persistent symptoms.”
Oxford University said the trial was inspired by the fact that patients with chronic respiratory disease, who are often prescribed inhaled steroids, were underrepresented among those hospitalized with COVID-19 early in the pandemic.
The findings have been published on the pre-print server medRxiv, and have not been peer-reviewed.
“The vaccine programs are really exciting, but we know it will take time for everyone around the world to reach it,” said Professor Mona Bafadhel, who led the trial, in a statement. “I find it encouraging that a relatively safe, widely available and well-studied drug, such as an inhaled steroid, could have an impact on the pressures we experience during the pandemic.”
The trial was funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Center and AstraZeneca, with whom the University of Oxford co-developed the COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222.