Patient satisfaction with beclomethasone dipropionate nasal aerosol device with integrated dose counter during daily use

Abstract

Some patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) may prefer a "dry" intranasal corticosteroid aerosol to avoid certain sensory perceptions such as the "wet feeling in the nose" and the "dripping down the throat" associated with aqueous nasal sprays. A nonaqueous hydrofluoroalkane-propelled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) nasal aerosol with an established efficacy and safety profile was approved to treat the nasal symptoms associated with AR in adult and adolescent patients. This study was designed to evaluate ease of use and patient satisfaction with the BDP nasal aerosol device in patients with perennial AR (PAR). In this phase 3, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study, eligible patients (≥12 years of age) with PAR were randomly assigned to receive BDP nasal aerosol at 320 micrograms/day or placebo for 6 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, patients assessed device ease of use and satisfaction with the device using a questionnaire with a 5-point representative scale (not at all, not very, neither nor, somewhat, very [certain/easy/satisfactory]). Nearly all patients (89.7%) reported that the BDP nasal aerosol device with integrated dose counter was "very easy" or "somewhat easy" to use. The majority of patients (87.5%) also indicated that it was "very easy" or "somewhat easy" to tell when the device was empty, compared with only 42.3% who were "very certain" or "somewhat certain" of being able to tell when previously used aqueous nasal spray devices were empty. Overall, patient satisfaction with the BDP nasal aerosol device was high: 65.7% responded that they were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" and only 3.6% were "not satisfied at all" or "not very satisfied." These results indicate that the majority of patients considered the BDP nasal aerosol device easy to use and reported a high degree of satisfaction with the device compared with other nasal sprays they had used in the past.