Skip to content

Budesonide

Budesonide is a corticosteroid formulated for more than one route in the body. MedlinePlus explains that inhaled budesonide is used to prevent difficulty breathing, chest tightness, wheezing and coughing caused by asthma, working by reducing swelling and irritation in the airways. Budecort Inhaler supplies budesonide alone, Foracort Inhaler pairs it with the bronchodilator formoterol, and Budez CR is a delayed-release capsule.

Entocort

Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis

100mcg · 200mcg

Indicated to address active intestinal inflammation to relieve abdominal discomfort and support bowel wall healing.

From$51.90/ inhalerView

Rhinocort

Allergic Rhinitis, Nasal Polyps

100mcg · 200mcg

Utilised to manage nasal allergic pathways to alleviate congestion and support airway comfort.

From$50.83/ inhalerView

Budecort Inhaler

Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

100mcg · 200mcg

Intended to relieve airway swelling to support ongoing respiration and mitigate hyperreactive bronchial flares.

From$35.56/ inhalerView

Foracort Inhaler

Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

100mcg + 6mcg · 200mcg + 6mcg · 400mcg + 6mcg

Formulated to alleviate bronchial constrictions to support steady respiration and target mucosal tissue swelling.

From$40.40/ inhalerView

Budez Cr

Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis

3mg

Developed to mitigate chronic gastrointestinal inflammation to support intestinal healing and alleviate pain.

From$0.48/ capsuleView

Key points

  • Inhaled budesonide helps prevent asthma attacks but will not stop one that has already started; a fast-acting rescue inhaler is needed for that.
  • The DailyMed capsule label lists mild to moderate active Crohn’s disease involving the ileum and the ascending colon as an indication for the delayed-release capsule.

How the delayed-release capsule is built, and how the body clears it

Budesonide delayed-release capsules are hard gelatin capsules filled with enteric-coated granules that dissolve above pH 5.5; Budez CR is this formulation. Once absorbed, budesonide is metabolised mainly by the CYP3A4 enzyme into two major metabolites, 6-beta-hydroxy budesonide and 16-alpha-hydroxy prednisolone.

Corticosteroid safety across both routes

Corticosteroids including budesonide can cause hypercorticism and suppress the adrenal axis, and the label asks prescribers to monitor for both during treatment. Corticosteroid-related immune suppression also raises the risk of viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoal and helminthic infections, including potentially fatal varicella and measles.

Budesonide is also known regionally as Pulmicort Turbuhaler, an inhaled budesonide brand named in the Emirates Drug Establishment product directory.

Further reading

Related articles