Comparison of the efficacy and safety of budesonide turbuhaler administered once daily with twice the dose of beclomethasone dipropionate using pressurised metered dose inhaler in patients with mild to moderate asthma.

BACKGROUND: Current treatment guidelines have clearly defined the central place and benefits of inhaled glucocorticoids in the management of bronchial asthma. However, compliance with therapy is often poor due to complexity of treatment regimens. Therefore, a single once daily regimen with a simple device, the turbuhaler might be expected to result in improved compliance and better efficiency. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective open randomized trial with parallel groups conducted in five tertiary medical institutions. Asthmatic patients who met the enrolment criteria were randomized to receive either budesonide 400 microg daily or beclomethasone dipropionate 400 microg twice daily for eight weeks. RESULT: At the end of the study, both drugs were found to be effective in reducing the symptoms of asthma, reduction of beta2 agonist usage and improvement in lung function tests. However Budesonide Turbuhaler provided better effects in all parameters (p < 0.05). Both drugs were well tolerated. CONCLUSION: It is therefore concluded that Budesonide Turbuhaler administered once daily at a dose of 400 microg is more efficacious than Beclomethasone dipropionate 400 microg twice daily administered via pressurized metered dose inhaler.