Conditions: Bronchiectasis
Keywords: Azithromycin Bronchiectasis Macrolide Inflammation Pulmonary
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 78
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung condition characterised primarily by dilatation of the airways. Only a small number of clinical studies have been conducted investigating the use of macrolides to treat non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of 12 weeks treatment with azithromycin in adult patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.

Detailed description:
Previous studies of various macrolides with small sample sizes have reported some benefit with the reduction of sputum volume in bronchiectasis patients. However, macrolide therapy could not yet be confidently used to treat bronchiectasis, given the diffuse nature of these findings. These studies have had a wide range of hypotheses, and have not necessarily focused on the anti-inflammatory effects of macrolides. Furthermore, these studies are few in number, and not all have been placebo-controlled or double-blinded. This, combined with the small sample sizes used, limits the reliability of these results. This study aims to expand on these limited published findings by investigating a larger sample population with different endpoints. Sputum volume and quality of life have been selected as important variables to aid in assessing efficacy.

This study aims to be independent of previous studies in a number of ways. This is the only study of bronchiectasis patients to formally investigate quality of life after treatment with a macrolide, and the potential carryover effect of azithromycin therapy. This study will also expand on the findings of previous studies of macrolides in bronchiectasis by incorporating a larger sample size into the trial.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients randomised to the treatment arm are to receive 1000 mg of azithromycin once a week for 12 weeks followed by placebo for azithromycin once weekly for another 12 weeks arm 2: In Part One of the study participants will be randomised to receive 12 weeks of either placebo or azithromycin in a 1:1 ratio in a double-blinded fashion. After 12 weeks, in Part Two of the study, all participants will receive placebo in a double-blinded fashion for an additional 12 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: Azithromycin intervention 2: Placebo for Azithromycin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Azithromycin (C38H72N2O12 MW 749) is a 15-membered azalide, a subclass of macrolide antibiotics intervention 2: In Part One of the study participants will be randomised to receive 12 weeks of either placebo or azithromycin in a 1:1 ratio in a double-blinded fashion. After 12 weeks, in Part Two of the study, all participants will receive placebo in a double-blinded fashion for an additional 12 weeks.

Protocol document: