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Symbicort vs Advair

Budesonide/formoterol  ·  Fluticasone/salmeterol

The two most widely used combination preventer inhalers, and the key practical difference — only one is licensed to be used as a reliever as well.

At a glance

SymbicortBudesonide/formoterol
AdvairFluticasone/salmeterol
Brand names
Symbicort
Advair / Seretide
Drug class
Corticosteroid / long-acting beta agonist
ICS/LABA inhaler
Route
Respiratory (inhalation)
Not listed
Marketed by
AstraZeneca
GlaxoSmithKline
First FDA approval
21 Jul 2006
24 Aug 2000
US shortage
Not listed
Not listed

Key differences

What each one treats

SymbicortBudesonide/formoterol

SYMBICORT is a combination product containing a corticosteroid and a long-acting beta 2 -adrenergic agonist indicated for: • Treatment of asthma in patients 6 years of age and older. ( 1.1 ) • Maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction and reducing exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. ( 1.2 ) Important limitations: • Not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm. ( 1.1 , 1.2 ) 1.1 Treatment of Asthma SYMBICORT is indicated for the treatment of asthma in patients 6 years of age and older. SYMBICORT should be used for patients not adequately controlled on a long-term asthma-control medication such as an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) or whose disease warrants initiation of treatment with both an inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA). Important Limitations of Use: • S…

AdvairFluticasone/salmeterol

A combination inhaler for asthma and COPD.

How each one works

SymbicortCorticosteroid / long-acting beta agonist

12.1 Mechanism of Action SYMBICORT SYMBICORT contains both budesonide and formoterol; therefore, the mechanisms of action described below for the individual components apply to SYMBICORT. These drugs represent two classes of medications (a synthetic corticosteroid and a long-acting selective beta 2 -adrenoceptor agonist) that have different effects on clinical, physiological, and inflammatory indices of COPD and asthma. Budesonide Budesonide is an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid that exhibits potent glucocorticoid activity and weak mineralocorticoid activity. In standard in vitro and animal models, budesonide has approximately a 200-fold higher affinity for the glucocorticoid receptor and …

AdvairICS/LABA inhaler

A combination inhaler for asthma and COPD.

Read more

Symbicort profile Advair profile Asthma & COPD Inhalers All comparisons
This is not medical advice, and not a recommendation of one drug over the other.

Which medicine is right for a given person depends on their diagnosis, other conditions, other medicines, kidney and liver function, pregnancy, and cost or reimbursement — none of which this page knows. Two drugs in the same class are not automatically interchangeable. Never start, stop or switch a prescription medicine on the basis of a web page; that decision belongs to you and your clinician or pharmacist.

Class and summary text is written by the Priya Life Science editorial team. Label, mechanism, route, manufacturer and approval data come from the U.S. FDA via the openFDA API; shortage status from the FDA Drug Shortage Database. Approvals, indications and brand names differ between the US, EU/Ireland (EMA/HPRA) and other regions — a drug approved in one may not be approved, or may carry a different name, in another.