Skip to main content

Midafternoon Dosing Improves Lung Function in Atopic Asthma

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 18, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 18, 2025 -- 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 Text

Editorial

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2025

Read this next

School-Based Asthma Therapy Boosts Asthma Control, Cuts Acute Health Care Use

THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- School-based asthma therapy (SBAT) can help improve children’s asthma control and decrease acute health care utilization, according to a study...

Early-Life Ozone Exposure Linked to Asthma, Wheeze at 4 to 6 Years Old

THURSDAY, April 3, 2025 -- Early-life ozone (O3) exposure is associated with asthma and wheeze outcomes at 4 to 6 years of age, according to a study published online April 2 in...

Prevalence of Pediatric-Onset Chronic Conditions, Functional Limitations Increasing

WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2025 -- The prevalence of chronic conditions (CC) and functional limitations (FL) is increasing among children and young adults, according to a study...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.