Onset of Bronchodilation with Fluticasone/Formoterol Combination Versus Fluticasone/Salmeterol in an Open-Label, Randomized Study

Abstract

Introduction:The inhaled corticosteroid,

Efficacy of fluticasone propionate/formoterol fumarate in the treatment of asthma: A pooled analysis

“…Undoubtedly the nature of the patient populations recruited into clinical trials has evolved since the initial introduction of ICS/LABA combination therapy, whilst differences in study designs, diary instruments and exacerbation definitions add further complexity to cross-study comparisons. It is more relevant therefore to note that in 8e12-week head-to-head studies where fluticasone/formoterol has been compared with fluticasone þ formoterol via separate inhalers, with fluticasone/salmeterol pMDI and budesonide/formoterol DPI [13,14,16], fluticasone/formoterol has, in each case, been proven to be non-inferior. These studies, in relatively broad patient populations, have all employed FEV 1 as the primary efficacy variable with similar secondary outcomes to those described in this pooled analysis.…”

Economic Evaluation of Fluticasone Propionate/Formoterol (Flutiform®) vs. Fluticasone/Salmeterol and Budesonide/Formoterol in Spain

“…Formoterol is a rapid and long-acting b2-agonist that has demonstrated a faster onset of action than salmeterol in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma in clinical trials [20][21][22]. This may increase the patient's quality of life, with treatment adherence being reflected in better disease control.…”

Fluticasone propionate/formoterol fumarate in fixed-dose combination for the treatment of asthma

“…The onset of bronchodilation (1-3 min) with formoterol is similar to that with albuterol, a SABA, and more rapid than that with salmeterol, a LABA [33,37]. Moreover, the onset of bronchodilation with a combination inhaler of fluticasone/formoterol is significantly more rapid than that with fluticasone/salmeterol, and this difference is maintained after 12 weeks of treatment for adults with mild to moderate-severe persistent asthma (see below for details) [38]. With regard to the relative potencies of the two LABAs, a dose of salmeterol 50 mg is estimated to correspond to a dose of formoterol of 9 mg (95% CI: 3-19 mg) [33].…”

“…A post hoc analysis was conducted to further characterize the onset of bronchodilation (defined as the time point of the first postdose FEV 1 ‡12% higher than the predose FEV 1 ) and responder rates (patients achieving bronchodilation) in the latter study [38]. Reproduced with permission from [50] under the terms of the BioMed Central Open Access license agreement.…”

“…Moreover, responsiveness may be influenced by genotype, such as polymorphism at codon 16 of the b 2 -adrenergic receptor gene, another area for future study [63]. This figure is modified from [56] and reproduced with permission from [38]. In making the transition to prescribing in real-life clinical practice, several additional factors come into play that can influence the effectiveness of inhaled therapies for asthma.…”