Efficacy and safety of mometasone furoate nasal spray in the treatment of sinusitis or acute rhinosinusitis

Sinusitis or acute rhinosinusitis, is defined as an acute viral or bacterial infection characterised by inflammation of the mucosa of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Although antibiotics are routinely prescribed for the treatment of acute sinusitis, most cases are caused by viral infections and will resolve without antibiotic therapy. Given concerns about global antibacterial resistance, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines recommend a conservative approach to antibiotic treatment, with mild or moderately severe acute sinusitis managed symptomatically. Intranasal corticosteroids act on the nasal mucosa to relieve inflammation and its associated symptoms, and may be a useful symptomatic treatment option. Two randomised, placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated that the corticosteroid mometasone furoate, administered as a nasal spray (MFNS), is effective as an adjunct to antibiotics in acute sinusitis. The design of these studies show a therapeutic approach known in Europe, but this attitude is still different from the current French guidelines. Furthermore, the efficacy and safety of MFNS monotherapy has been compared with antibiotic therapy in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with acute uncomplicated sinusitis and probably viral. In this study, twice-daily (BID) MFNS 200 microg produced statistically greater improvements in overall symptoms and most individual symptoms compared with amoxicillin or placebo, even though Amoxicillin is not the one recommended by the French guidelines for this indication. These findings suggest that MFNS may play an important role in the management of acute sinusitis, either as monotherapy or as adjunctive treatment to antibiotics. These results lead also to think over its interest in the treatment of uncomplicated common forms of sinusitis, where antibiotics are still widely prescribed in daily practice.