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[Pharmacology](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/) · [Inhaled corticosteroids](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/inhaled-corticosteroids/)

# Beclometasone

One of the oldest inhaled corticosteroids, a daily asthma preventer. It is a prodrug activated in the lung.

Updated 2026-11-01

- Class: [Inhaled corticosteroids](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/inhaled-corticosteroids/)
- Receptor: Glucocorticoid receptor
- ATC code: R03BA01

Also called: Beclomethasone, Beclometasone dipropionate

◎**Glucocorticoid receptor**Beclometasone

ⓘ No structure of beclometasone on the glucocorticoid receptor exists. The figure shows fluticasone furoate, another inhaled corticosteroid in the same steroid pocket, in the human receptor.

**Target in 3D:** Glucocorticoid receptor. PDB structure 3CLD (RCSB PDB, public domain). [View the structure at RCSB PDB](https://www.rcsb.org/structure/3CLD) · Drag to rotate · pinch to zoom

## Mechanism of action

Beclometasone dipropionate is a prodrug: hydrolysis, partly in the lung itself, quickly turns it into beclometasone 17-monopropionate, the active form, which binds the glucocorticoid receptor with high affinity. The receptor switches off inflammatory genes and switches on anti-inflammatory ones, so airway inflammation and reactivity fall over days to weeks.

- Hydrolysis converts the prodrug to the active 17-monopropionate
- The active form binds the glucocorticoid receptor
- The receptor turns down inflammatory genes in the nucleus
- Airway inflammation and asthma attacks decrease

## Pharmacokinetics

**Absorption**
Rapidly converted to the active 17-monopropionate during absorption

**Metabolism**
CYP3A converts it to further metabolites

**Elimination**
Mainly in the faeces

**Half-life**
Active metabolite about 3 hours

## Indications

- Maintenance and preventive treatment of asthma [Asthma →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/asthma/)

## Adverse effects

### Common

- Oral thrush
- Hoarseness and sore throat
- Headache
- Sinusitis

### Serious (rare, important)

- Adrenal suppression with high doses or when switching from oral steroids
- Slower growth in children and lower bone density
- Cataracts, glaucoma and raised eye pressure
- Worsening of tuberculosis or other infections; severe chickenpox or measles in non-immune patients
- Paradoxical bronchospasm

## Contraindications

- Primary treatment of status asthmaticus or acute attacks
- Hypersensitivity to any component

## Key interactions

**Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (ritonavir, ketoconazole)**
May increase systemic exposure and steroid effects

## What is monitored

- Asthma control and reliever use
- Mouth for thrush
- Height in children
- Eyes with long use

## Administration and safety

- Oral inhalation by pressurised inhaler, breath-actuated inhaler or dry powder inhaler
- A spacer is recommended with pressurised steroid inhalers at higher doses; with some propellant products it is not recommended in young children, so the product leaflet is followed
- After each use the mouth is rinsed with water and the water spat out
- Different beclometasone products are not interchangeable puff for puff; the product name is checked

## Nursing care

- Check inhaler technique and spacer use
- Look at the mouth for thrush and ask about hoarseness
- Measure growth in children
- Teach that it is a daily preventer, not a reliever

## Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Data are limited; the risks of poorly controlled asthma (preeclampsia, prematurity) are weighed against those of the drug, and good control is the aim.

## Memory aid

BECLO is a BACK-door steroid: a prodrug that hydrolysis unlocks into its 17-monopropionate.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## In what sense is beclometasone dipropionate a prodrug?

It is hydrolysed, partly in the lung, into beclometasone 17-monopropionate, the form that binds the glucocorticoid receptor.

## Why are beclometasone products not swapped puff for puff?

Products differ in how much drug reaches the lungs and the blood; for example, newer propellant products give more systemic exposure than older ones used with a spacer.

## What local adverse effect is reduced by rinsing the mouth after beclometasone?

Oral thrush (oropharyngeal candidiasis), as well as hoarseness.

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## Related drugs

- [Budesonide](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/budesonide/)
- [Fluticasone](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/fluticasone/)

## Related conditions

- [Asthma](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/asthma/)

[← Back to the class: Inhaled corticosteroids](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/inhaled-corticosteroids/)

Educational content on how drugs work; not a prescribing guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [DailyMed - BECLOMETHASONE DIPROPIONATE aerosol, metered](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=a27795ec-4309-4a40-8dc2-12d0ec5bf12b) (DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 2021); [Beclometasone inhalers: a steroid medicine to treat asthma and COPD - NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/beclometasone-inhalers/) (NHS, 2026); [ATCDDD - ATC/DDD Index](https://atcddd.fhi.no/atc_ddd_index/?code=R03BA01) (WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, 2026).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/beclometasone/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/beclometasone/