Inhaled budesonide, a commonly used asthma medication, appeared 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 consumed 800 micrograms of inhaled budesonide, sold as AstraZeneca’s Pulmicort, twice daily.
The results suggested that inhaled budesonide reduced the risk of urgent care or hospitalization by 90 percent 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 study was inspired by the fact that patients with chronic respiratory disease, who frequently receive inhaled steroids, were underrepresented among those who were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic.
The findings were published on the prepress server medRxiv, and have not been peer reviewed.
“Vaccine programs are really exciting, but we know that it will take some time to reach everyone around the world,” said Professor Mona Bafadhel, who led the trial, in a statement. “I am excited that a relatively safe, widely available and well-studied drug, 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 Oxford University co-created the COVID-19 AZD1222 vaccine.