Inhaled corticosteroid with short-acting \u03b2 agonists or long-acting \u03b2 agonist formoterol linked to reduction in exacerbations, improved control<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, Oct. 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For patients with asthma, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) combined with short-acting \u03b2 agonists (SABA) and ICS combined with the long-acting \u03b2 agonist formoterol are each associated with reduced asthma exacerbations compared with SABA alone, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>. The study was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from Oct. 24 to 28 in Boston.<\/p>\n Daniel G. Rayner, from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to compare SABA alone to SABA combined with ICS and with fast-onset formoterol combined with ICS for asthma. Data were included from 27 randomized clinical trials with 50,496 adult and pediatric patients.<\/p>\n The researchers found that both ICS-containing relievers were associated with fewer severe exacerbations compared with SABA alone (risk ratios, 0.65 and 0.84 for ICS-formoterol and ICS-SABA, respectively), with high certainty. Both ICS-containing relievers were associated with improved asthma control compared with SABA alone (risk ratio improvement in total score, 1.07 and 1.09 for ICS-formoterol and ICS-SABA, respectively), with high certainty. ICS-formoterol and ICS-SABA were not associated with an increased risk for serious adverse events compared with SABA alone (high and moderate certainty, respectively).<\/p>\n “ICS combined with formoterol and ICS combined with SABA were each associated with reduced asthma exacerbations and improved asthma control compared with SABA alone,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n