Budesonide/Formoterol Turbuhaler®

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly heterogeneous, progressive inflammatory disease that imposes considerable economic and healthcare burdens on society, with the disease predicted to remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide in the future. Current pharmacological treatment can improve symptoms of the disease, but not progression. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines recommend that patients with moderate COPD should use one or more long-acting bronchodilators (e.g. a long-acting β₂-agonist) as required and, for those with severe and very severe disease who are experiencing repeated COPD exacerbations, an inhaled corticosteroid should be added as required.

Budesonide/formoterol Turbuhaler® (Symbicort® Turbuhaler®) is a dry powder inhaler (DPI) that combines these two classes of drugs in a single inhaler, thereby making administration easier and more convenient. Budesonide/formoterol Turbuhaler® (delivered dose 320 mg/9 µg) is recommended for the symptomatic treatment of adult patients with severe COPD (forced expiratory volume in 1 second <50% of predicted value) and a history of repeated exacerbations, who have significant symptoms despite regular therapy with long-acting bronchodilators. This article reviews the pharmacological properties and clinical use of budesonide/formoterol Turbuhaler® in adult patients with moderate to severe COPD.

Budesonide/formoterol Turbuhaler® (320 mg/9 µg twice daily) was effective and well tolerated in adult patients with moderate to severe COPD participating in large, multicentre trials of up to 12 months’ duration. Budesonide/formoterol Turbuhaler® improved lung function, exacerbation rates, COPD symptom scores and health status from baseline to a significantly greater extent than placebo and, in general, than the individual monotherapies in these trials. Moreover, as reflected in the faster onset of action of formoterol than salmeterol, budesonide/ formoterol Turbuhaler® was more effective than salmeterol/fluticasone propionate DPI at improving the patient’s ability to perform morning activities in a short-term study. In the 12-week CLIMB trial, adding budesonide/formoterol Turbuhaler® to inhaled tiotropium bromide therapy was significantly more effectiv than adding placebo to tiotropium bromide therapy. Thus, inhaled budesonide/ formoterol, either alone or as add-on therapy to other medications, continues to be a useful option for the management of COPD.