According to researchers from the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) and Vanderbilt University, the ACTIV-6 study of repurposed medicines for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 has found that inhaled dry powder fluticasone furoate provided no benefit compared to inhaled placebo. Results have been published on medRxiv in an article titled “Inhaled Fluticasone for Outpatient Treatment of Covid-19: A Decentralized, Placebo-controlled, Randomized, Platform Clinical Trial.”
Beginning in June 2021, 1,127 patients were enrolled in the fluticasone furoate arm of the study and received 200 mcg of fluticasone per day or used a placebo inhaler for 14 days. Inhalers used in the study were provided by GSK; the company’s Arnuity Ellipta fluticasone furoate DPI, was approved by the FDA in 2014 for the treatment of asthma in patients aged 12 and up and for ages 5-11 in 2018.
DCRI Executive Director Adrian Hernandez specified, “There was no evidence of improvement in time to recovery or reduction in hospitalizations in participants who took fluticasone furoate versus those who took a placebo.” DCRI investigator Susanna Naggie added, “No safety concerns were identified in this arm of the study, confirming that fluticasone furoate is safe to take as prescribed per the FDA for the treatment of asthma or other approved conditions. ACTIV-6 continues to enroll into other medication arms and may add additional arms as the study progresses.”
Read the Duke Health press release.
