Midafternoon Dosing Improves Lung Function in Atopic Asthma

FRIDAY, April 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Midafternoon dosing with beclomethasone dipropionate is associated with better clinical outcomes in mild-to-moderate atopic asthma, according to a study published online April 15 in Thorax.Ran Wang, Ph.D., from the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a randomized three-way trial to examine the impact of dosage timing for inhaled corticosteroids in participants with mild-to-moderate atopic asthma. Participants were randomly assigned to receive beclomethasone dipropionate: 400 µg once daily between 08:00 and 09:00 (ODAM); 400 µg once daily between 15:00 and 16:00 (ODPM); and 200 µg twice daily between 08:00 and 09:00 and between 20:00 and 21:00 (BD) for 28 days, with a two-week washout period between treatments.Twenty-one of the 25 participants completed all regimens. The researchers found that compared with ODAM and BD, ODPM was superior for improving 22:00 forced expiratory volume in one second (median, +160 versus −20 and +80 ml, respectively). Better overnight (22:00 to 04:00) suppression in blood eosinophil counts was seen with ODPM compared with BD and ODAM. Improved asthma control and reduced fractional exhaled nitric oxide and serum cortisol levels were seen with all regimens, with no difference noted between regimens."Midafternoon dosing of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate better improved nocturnal lung function and inflammatory biomarkers compared with the alternative dosage timings without additional adrenal suppression, hence may lead to better clinical outcomes without increasing steroid-related morbidity or costs," the authors write.One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full TextEditorial.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter