Effectiveness of Antitussives, Anticholinergics and Honey Versus Usual Care in Adults With Acute Bronchitis. (AB4T)

Effectiveness of Antitussives, Anticholinergics and Honey Versus Usual Care in Adults With Uncomplicated Acute Bronchitis.

This study, which is aimed at comparing the effectiveness of 3 symptomatic therapies (dextromethorphan, ipratropium and honey) associated with usual care and the usual care in adults with acute bronchitis, is a multicentre, pragmatic, parallel group, open randomised trial. Patients aged 18 or over with uncomplicated acute bronchitis, with cough <3 weeks as the main symptom, scoring ≥ 4 in either daytime or nocturnal cough on a 7-point Likert scale, will be randomised to one of the 4 groups. Sample: 668 patients. The primary outcome will be the number of days with moderate-severe cough.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Acute Bronchitis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Dextromethorphan 15 milligrams; Drug: Ipratropium Bromide 20Micrograms Inhaler; Dietary supplement: Honey 30 g (full tablespoon); Other: Usual clinical practice

Detailed Description

Despite the frequent use of therapies in acute bronchitis, encouraged by the over-the-counter availability in pharmacies, the evidence of their benefit is scarce, since only a few clinical trials have been published, with low sample sizes, poor methodological quality and mainly in children. The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of 3 symptomatic therapies (dextromethorphan, ipratropium and honey) associated with usual care and the usual care in adults with acute bronchitis. This will be a multicentre, pragmatic, parallel group, open randomised trial. Patients aged 18 or over with uncomplicated acute bronchitis, with cough for less than three weeks as the main symptom, scoring ≥ 4 in either daytime or nocturnal cough on a 7-point Likert scale, will be randomised to one of the following four groups: usual care, usual care + dextromethorphan 30 mg t.i.d., usual care + ipratropium bromide inhaler 20 µg 2 puffs t.i.d, or usual care + 30 mg (a spoonful) of honey t.i.d., all taken for up to 14 days. The exclusion criteria will be: pneumonia, criteria for hospital admission, pregnancy or lactation, concomitant pulmonary disease, associated significant comorbidity, allergy, intolerance or contraindication to any of the study drugs, admitted to a long-term residence, or inability to give informed consent. Sample: 668 patients. The primary outcome will be the number of days with moderate-severe cough in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, i.e., the number of days from the randomisation visit until the last day the patient scores three or more in either daytime or nocturnal cough in the symptom diary. All patients will be given a symptom diary to be self-administered while symptoms are present. A second visit will be scheduled at day 2-3 for assessing evolution, with two more visits at days 15 and 29 for clinical assessment, evaluation of adverse effects, re-attendance and complications. Patients still with symptoms at day 29 will be called six weeks after the baseline visit.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 668
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Catalonia
    • Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, 08910
      • Nova Lloreda Health Center
    • Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, 08911
      • Martí i Julià Health Center
    • Balaguer, Catalonia, Spain, 25600
      • Balaguer Health Center
    • Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 08015
      • Via Roma Health Centre
    • Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 08027
      • La Marina Health Center
    • Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 08041
      • CAP Passeig Maragall (EAP Camp de l'Arpa)
    • Cornellà De Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain, 08940
      • Cornellà - La Gavarra Health Center
    • Pineda De Mar, Catalonia, Spain, 08397
      • Pineda de Mar Health Center
    • Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain, 08027
      • Ca n'OriacHealth Center
    • Sant Boi De Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain, 08830
      • Molí Nou Health Center
    • Santa Coloma De Gramenet, Catalonia, Spain, 08924
      • Singuerlin Health Center
    • Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain, 43005
      • CAP Jaume I

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18 years or older, and
• symptoms of acute bronchitis with cough starting within 3 weeks before study inclusion, and
• patients who score ≥ 4 in either the daytime and/or nocturnal cough on a 7-point Likert scale, and
• patients who consent to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

• suspected pneumonia; if the professional suspects pneumonia, a chest X-ray will be recommended and the patient will be randomized if this diagnosis is discarded; or
• criteria for hospital admission (impaired consciousness, respiratory rate > 30 breaths/minute, pulse > 125 beats/minute, systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure <60 mm Hg, temperature > 104°F or oxygen saturation <92%)
• pregnancy or breast feeding
• baseline respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, tuberculosis or bronchiectasis
• associated significant comorbidity, such as moderate-severe heart failure, dementia, acute myocardial infarction/recent cerebral vascular accident (< 3 months), severe liver failure, severe renal failure
• immunosuppression, such as chronic infection by HIV, transplanted, neutropenic, or patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment
• active neoplasm
• terminal illness
• history of intolerance or allergy to any of the study treatments
• patients in whom, in the opinion of the investigator, treatment with dextromethorphan, ipratropium bromide or honey is contraindicated
• patients living in long-term institutions
• difficulty in conducting scheduled follow-up visits

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Dextromethorphan; Usual clinical practice + dextromethorphan (15 milligrams unit), one 15 mg-tablet t.i.d. up to a maximum of 14 days.	Drug: Dextromethorphan 15 milligrams; This drug is already marketed, and therefore, the manufacturer is responsible for the elaboration and control of samples. This study drug will be provided free to the participants by the sponsor.; Other Names: Antitussive
Active Comparator: Ipratropium; Usual clinical practice + ipratropium bromide 20Micrograms Inhaler each puff), 2 puffs t.i.d. up to a maximum of 14 days.	Drug: Ipratropium Bromide 20Micrograms Inhaler; This drug is already marketed, and therefore, the manufacturer is responsible for the elaboration and control of samples. This study drug will be provided free to the participants by the sponsor.; Other Names: Anticholinergic
Active Comparator: Honey; Usual clinical practice + Honey 30 g (full tablespoon) t.i.d. up to a maximum of 14 days. Patients will be given two 750 milligram bottles of wildflower honey (the most frequent type of honey used in our country) and patients will be recommended to add the honey to a cup of lemon or thyme juice, milk herbal tea, yogurt, as a hot toddy, etc.	Dietary supplement: Honey 30 g (full tablespoon); This study product will be provided free to the participants by the sponsor.; Other Names: Dietary supplement
Placebo Comparator: Usual clinical practice; Usual care.	Other: Usual clinical practice; Clinicians will not be allowed to prescribe antitussives, including codeine, anticholinergic inhalers and they will not be allowed to recommend the use of honey.; Other Names: Usual care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Duration of moderate-severe cough in days in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 3 in either daytime cough or nocturnal cough in the symptom diary. Each symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be).	Day 29.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Duration of cough in days in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 2 in either daytime cough or nocturnal cough in the symptom diary. Each symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be).	Days 15 and 29. If the patient continues to score 2 or more at day 29 will be called at day 43.
Duration of moderate-severe daytime cough in days in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 3 in daytime cough in the symptom diary. This symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be).	Days 15 and 29. If the patient continues to score 3 or more at day 29 will be called at day 43.
Duration of moderate-severe nocturnal cough in days in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 3 in nocturnal cough in the symptom diary. This symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be).	Days 15 and 29. If the patient continues to score 3 or more at day 29 will be called at day 43.
Duration of moderate-severe symptoms in days in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 3 in any of the symptoms in the symptom diary. Each symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be).	Days 15 and 29. If the patient continues to score 3 or more at day 29 will be called at day 43.
Duration of severe symptoms in days in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 5 in any of the symptoms in the symptom diary. Each symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be).	Days 15 and 29.
Duration of symptoms in days in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 2 in any of the symptoms in the symptom diary. Each symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be).	Days 15 and 29. If the patient continues to score 2 or more at day 29 will be called at day 43.
Duration of moderate-severe cough in days according to the basal degree of bronchial hyper-reactiveness in the four arms.	Number of days until the last day the patient scores 3 in either daytime cough or nocturnal cough in the symptom diary. Each symptom will be scored by the patient on a 7-point Likert scale, which has been used in previous studies (0=not affected; 1=very little problem; 2=slight problem; 3=moderately bad; 4=bad; 5=very bad; 6=as bad as it could be). Bronchial hyper-responsiveness will be determined with three peak-flow measurements at day 1 and the highest of three peak flow measurements will be collected.	The peak-flow will be determined at day 1.
Percentage of antibiotics and different symptomatic treatments used in the four arms.	This information will be collected every day by the patients themselves.	Days 2-4, 15 and 29.
Number of days of absence from work in the four arms.	Electronic records and sick leave certifications.	Day 15.
Patients re-attendance for symptoms related to the episode of acute bronchitis within the first 42 days.	The number of re-attendances to any doctor regarding the episode of acute bronchitis will be collected from the electronic records.	Day 29 and phone call at day 43.
Number of complications related to the episode of acute bronchitis within the first 28-42 days.	The number of complications will be collected through electronic records and hospital certifications.	Day 29-43.
Patient satisfaction in the four arms.	Patient satisfaction will be collected in the same symptom diaries by the patients themselves by means of questions included in the symptom diary.	Day 15 or 29.
Number of adverse events in the four arms.	The number of adverse events will be collected by the participating doctor by means of questions.	Days 2-4, 15 and 29.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Jordi Gol i Gurina Foundation
• Collaborators: Spanish Clinical Research Network - SCReN
• Investigators: Study Chair: Ana Moragas, MD PhD, Catalan Institute of Health

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Llor C, Moragas A, Ouchi D, Monfa R, Garcia-Sangenis A, Gomez-Lumbreras A, Pera H, Pujol J, Morros R. Effectiveness of antitussives, anticholinergics, and honey versus usual care in adults with uncomplicated acute bronchitis: a multiarm randomized clinical trial. Fam Pract. 2022 Oct 14:cmac112. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmac112. Online ahead of print.
• Cots JM, Moragas A, Garcia-Sangenis A, Morros R, Gomez-Lumbreras A, Ouchi D, Monfa R, Pera H, Pujol J, Bayona C, de la Poza-Abad M, Llor C. Effectiveness of antitussives, anticholinergics or honey versus usual care in adults with uncomplicated acute bronchitis: a study protocol of an open randomised clinical trial in primary care. BMJ Open. 2019 May 16;9(5):e028159. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028159.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 30, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 5, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 8, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): November 13, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 30, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 29, 2022
• Last Verified: August 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cough; Dextromethorphan; Ipratropium; Honey.
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Disease Attributes; Bronchial Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Acute Disease; Bronchitis; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Autonomic Agents; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Cholinergic Agents; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Excitatory Amino Acid Agents; Anticonvulsants; Bronchodilator Agents; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Respiratory System Agents; Antitussive Agents; Dextromethorphan; Bromides; Ipratropium; Cholinergic Antagonists
• Other Study ID Numbers: IJG-AB4T-2018

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Yes
• IPD Plan Description: Reposition of data in Scientia
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: 2021
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Scientia
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: Study Protocol; Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No