University of Basel

Department of
Clinical Research

RECUT - a study on shortened corticosteroid treatment in COPD

In the spirit of «Smarter Medicine», this randomized study aims to find out whether less is perhaps more.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. In the late course of the disease, exacerbations occur with increasing frequency and lead to an accelerated decrease in lung function and thus to a progression of COPD.

BackgroundThe study was initiated inspired from the results of the REDUCE study (see link below), which was conducted in hospitalized patients suffering from COPD exacerbations. REDUCE showed that corticosteroid therapy can be reduced from 14 to 5 days without any change in clinical outcome. But can these results be transferred to an outpatient group of patients in the family practice? Can the corticosteroid dose even be further reduced in patients with COPD exacerbation who do not require hospitalization?

RECUT

REduction of Corticosteroid Use in Outpatient Treatment of Exacerbated COPD

Principal Investigator
Prof. Jörg D. Leuppi, Cantonal Hospital Baselland

Planned patients
470

Duration of the project
2015-2021

DKF support
Statistics, Regulatory Affairs, Data Management, Monitoring

Funding
SNF project funding

Does shorter corticosteroid therapy lead to an increase in treatment quality for COPD patients with acute exacerbation?

Goal
The RECUT study investigates whether corticosteroid treatment (40mg prednisone once daily) can be reduced from five to three days without loss of efficacy in outpatients with acute exacerbation of COPD who are treated in a general practitioner's practice.

Study MethodologyProspective, multicenter, randomized non-inferiority studyImportance of the studyShortened steroid treatment of COPD patients with acute exacerbation would possibly lead to fewer side effects and thus to a better quality of life for affected patients. On the other hand, the costs for the healthcare system could be reduced. In the spirit of "Smarter Medicine": Increasing the quality of treatment and proving that less is more.

September 2020

 

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