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Original Article

Effectiveness of Low Doses (50 and 100 μg b.i.d.) of Beclomethasone Dipropionate Delivered as a CFC-Free Extrafine Aerosol in Adults with Mild to Moderate Asthma

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Pages 389-398 | Published online: 02 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low doses (50 and 100 μg b.i.d.) of hydrofluoroalkane-134a (HFA) beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) extrafine aerosol in improving asthma control. Reformulation of BDP in a new chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-free propellant (HFA) has produced an extrafine aerosol with increased delivery of the drug to the airways of the lung. The study population comprised 270 steroid-naive patients with mild to moderate asthma (mean baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 sec [FEV,] as a percentage of predicted normal of 65%-85%). This was a 6-week, blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Patients were randomized to receive 50 or 100 μg b.i.d. HFA-BDP or HFA-placebo. Treatment with either 50 or 100 μg b.i.d. HFA-BDP resulted in a significantly greater improvement compared with placebo in FEV, (mean change from baseline as percentage of predicted normal of 6.7%, 8.6%, and 0.4%, respectively; p ≤ 0.01 active treatment groups vs. placebo), with a significant trend toward increasing improvement with increasing doses (p ≤ 0.0001). Treatment also resulted in significantly greater mean changes from baseline in morning peak expiratory flow compared with placebo (29.5, 33.8, and 5.0 L/min, respectively; p ≤ 0.01 active treatment groups vs. placebo). All other pulmonary function and asthma symptom measures supported these data. The study treatments were well tolerated. These results show that low doses of HFA-BDP extrafine aerosol effectively improve asthma control in adult patients with mild to moderate asthma. However, it is important that inhaled corticosteroid therapy is still given at a dose high enough to control airway inflammation as well as asthma symptoms.

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