Once-daily budesonide inhalation powder (Pulmicort Turbuhaler®) improves health-related quality of life in adults previously receiving inhaled corticosteroids

In the treatment of asthma, the conventional measures used to monitor a patient’s progress and health status do not address the impact of functional impairments associated with the disease that may affect the patient’s daily life. Unlike those measures, health-related quality of life (HRQL) reflects the physical, psychological, and social difficulties a patient perceives on a day-to-day basis. This study was conducted to determine the effects of once-daily budesonide inhalation powder via the Pulmicort Turbuhaler® on the HRQL in adult patients with asthma previously treated with other inhaled corticosteroids. A total of 184 patients 18 to 70 years of age who previously received inhaled corticosteroids were enrolled in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter study. Patients were randomly assigned to budesonide 400 μg once daily or to placebo for 12 weeks. Each patient’s HRQL was assessed at randomization and at weeks 4 and 12 with the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). More patients receiving budesonide than those receiving placebo reported statistically significant (P≤.05) improvements in HRQL at weeks 4 and 12. With the exception of the domain pertaining to exposure to environmental stimuli, differences from placebo in overall AQLQ scores and individual domain scores were clinically important (> -0.5 units). In addition, 2.4 patients needed to be treated with once-daily budesonide for 1 patient to demonstrate clinically important improvement. Budesonide 400 μg administered once daily via the PulmicortTurbuhaler provides statistically significant and clinically important HRQL benefit in adult patients with asthma previously receiving inhaled corticosteroids.