(Reuters) – A common treatment for asthma appears to reduce the need for hospitalization and recovery time for patients with COVID-19 if given within seven days of symptoms, Oxford University researchers said on Tuesday. .
The findings were made following an intermediate-stage study of the steroid budesonide, sold as Pulmicort by AstraZeneca Plc and also used to treat the smoker’s lungs.
The 28-day study of 146 patients suggested that inhaled budesonide reduced the risk of urgent care or hospitalization by 90 percent compared to regular care, Oxford University said.
The researchers said the study was inspired by the fact that patients with chronic respiratory diseases, who are often prescribed inhaled steroids, were significantly underrepresented among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic. (bit.ly/3q40g1W)
Initial data from the study also found that volunteers treated with budesonide had a faster resolution of fever and fewer persistent symptoms.
“I am encouraged that a relatively safe, widely available and well-studied drug … could have an impact on the pressures we are experiencing during the pandemic,” said Mona Bafadhel, the trial’s lead investigator.
Pulmicort was once a successful drug for the coronavirus vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca, which now offers a newer drug, Symbicort, as an alternative treatment for asthma.
The results of the Oxford University study have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Reporting of Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Edited by Ramakrishnan M.