Efficacy and safety of erdosteine in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis: A pilot study
Abstrakt
Erdosteine was originally developed as a mucolytic agent. It is a multimechanism substance with anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, and most importantly anti-inflammatory effects.
Given similar mechanisms of action (suppression of cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α), it could become a reasonable alternative to currently used treatments with macrolides or steroids. Objective: To assess efficacy and safety of erdosteine in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP).
Methodology: A prospective non-interventional post-authorisation study comparing patients treated with erdosteine only or the combination of erdosteine and nasal corticosteroid spray for CRSwNP. The end-points were pre-and post-treatment changes in endoscopic score and subjective evaluation of CRSwNP related symptoms using a 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test questionnaire.
Patients underwent nasal endoscopy and filled the questionnaire before and after the treatment. Results: No patient experienced any adverse effect during the study.
A comparison of pre-and post-treatment endoscopic findings and questionnaire values revealed significant reduction in both patient groups, with a significantly better response in the erdosteine only group. Conclusion: Based on this pilot study, erdosteine seems effective in the treatment of CRSwNP and might become a reasonable alternative to currently used medication.
The therapeutical role of erdosteine needs to be further assessed