Risk for severe exacerbations significantly lower with as-needed fixed higher-dose combination treatment versus albuterol alone<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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TUESDAY, May 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) — For patients with moderate-to-severe asthma, as-needed use of a fixed combination of albuterol and budesonide is associated with a lower risk for severe asthma exacerbations compared with as-needed use of albuterol alone, according to a study published online May 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/em> to coincide with the American Thoracic Society 2022 International Conference, held from May 13 to 18 in San Francisco.<\/p>\n Alberto Papi, M.D., from the University of Ferrara Medical School in Italy, and colleagues conducted a multinational, phase 3 trial to examine the efficacy and safety of albuterol-budesonide compared to albuterol alone as rescue medication for patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma receiving inhaled glucocorticoid-containing maintenance therapy. Participants (aged 12 years and older) were randomly assigned to a fixed-dose combination of 180 \u00ce\u00bcg of albuterol and 160 \u00ce\u00bcg of budesonide, a fixed-dose combination of 180 \u00ce\u00bcg of albuterol and 80 \u00ce\u00bcg of budesonide, or 180 \u00ce\u00bcg of albuterol in a 1:1:1 ratio; children aged 4 to 11 years were randomly assigned to the lower-dose combination group or albuterol-only group.<\/p>\n A total of 3,132 patients underwent randomization; 97 percent were aged 12 years or older. The researchers found that the risk for severe asthma exacerbation was significantly lower in the higher-dose combination group than the albuterol-alone group (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.62 to 0.89; P = 0.001). The risk was also lower in the lower-dose combination group versus the albuterol-alone group (hazard ratio, 0.84; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.71 to 1.00; P = 0.052). The three trial groups had a similar incidence of adverse events.<\/p>\n “The annualized rate of severe asthma exacerbations was numerically lower with each albuterol-budesonide dose than with albuterol,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed financial ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Avillion, which funded the study.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n