Airsupra® (albuterol/budesonide) is now available for the as-needed treatment or prevention of bronchoconstriction and to reduce the risk of exacerbations in patients with asthma 18 years of age and older.
Airsupra combines albuterol, a short-acting beta2-agonist, and budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid. It is supplied as a metered dose inhaler containing 120 inhalations; each actuation delivers 90mcg of albuterol and 80mcg of budesonide. The canister has an attached dose indicator that shows how many inhalations are left in the product.
The approval of Airsupra was based on efficacy results in adult patients from two phase 3 trials: MANDALA (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03769090) and DENALI (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03847896).
Findings from these studies showed the combination therapy significantly reduced the risk of severe asthma exacerbations vs albuterol alone in patients with moderate to severe asthma, and improved lung function compared with its individual components and placebo, in patients with mild to moderate asthma. The most common adverse reactions reported with treatment included headache, oral candidiasis, cough, and dysphonia.
The recommended dosage of Airsupra is albuterol 180mcg and budesonide 160mcg (administered as 2 actuations) as needed for asthma symptoms by oral inhalation. No more than 6 doses (12 inhalations) should be administered in a 24-hour period.
“With Airsupra now available in the US, we are taking an important step in our mission to revolutionize asthma for millions of people living with the disease,” said Liz Bodin, Vice President, US Respiratory & Immunology, AstraZeneca. “We are hopeful our innovative asthma rescue medicine can help alleviate the burden by addressing both symptoms and underlying inflammation simultaneously at the right time to reduce the risk of having a severe asthma attack.”
AstraZeneca is offering a copay assistance program for eligible patients.
This article originally appeared on MPR
