BOAT

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Bronchiectasis: Optimising Azithromycin prevention Treatment to reduce exacerbations (BOAT): A double blind pragmatic 2 arm phase IV randomised controlled trial

• IRAS ID

  1010479

• Contact name

  Anthony De Soyza

• Contact email

  anthony.de-soyza@newcastle.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• ISRCTN Number

  ISRCTN59922389

• Research summary

  People living with Bronchiectasis may experience worsening of symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough and wheezing in addition to changes that may be expected for having Bronchiectasis. The worsening of symptoms is called exacerbation or flare-up and can be debilitating and frightening, requiring additional treatment, often with azithromycin. This is an antibiotic medicine that also has anti-inflammatory properties. It is prescribed as long-term prevention to reduce the risk of flare-ups.
  Some people may be affected by side effects from azithromycin. Antibiotic resistance is another concern, especially when using
  azithromycin for prevention rather than to treat active infection. We currently don’t know whether to advise people to stop taking
  azithromycin once Bronchiectasis has stabilised. We also do not know if azithromycin is more effective in some people or more likely to cause side effects in others. Given these uncertainties, it is challenging to know how best to use azithromycin in managing Bronchiectasis. Azithromycin is a valuable antibiotic, and we want to prescribe it where it has benefit but we want to avoid unnecessary side effects and reduce the chances of bacteria becoming resistant to it. The purpose of this trial is to be able to gain results to answer these questions. We want to establish the effects of stopping azithromycin in people whose Bronchiectasis has stabilised, who have been taking it for at least 3 months. In this trial, we will compare continuing azithromycin with stopping it completely. We will compare the effects of these two treatments in the trial on flare-ups, symptoms and quality of life and also find out what factors may affect how individual participants respond to them.

• REC name

  North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1

• REC reference

  25/NS/0027

• Date of REC Opinion

  28 Apr 2025

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion