Trials show benefit of ‘as needed’ use of AZ’s Symbicort Turbuhaler asthma inhaler

Phase III trials in patients with mild asthma tested Symbicort Turbuhaler ‘as needed’ against current reliever SABA therapy, and twice-daily budesonide plus SABA, where both treatment regimes are taken as needed. Data published in the New England Journal of Medicine maintained that Symbicort Turbuhaler ‘as needed’ demonstrated superior asthma-symptom control (34.4 percent versus 31.1 percent) and a 64 percent reduction in exacerbations versus SABA ‘as needed’. It was also found to be non-inferior to twice-daily budesonide maintenance therapy plus SABA ‘as needed’ in reducing the risk of severe asthma exacerbations (0.11 versus 0.12), which was achieved with 25 percent of the budesonide maintenance dose.
It was not all good news however, as the AZ inhaler taken only ‘as needed’ did not achieve non-inferiority in electronically recorded well-controlled asthmas weeks versus twice-daily budesonide plus SABA.

Paul O’Byrne, dean and vice-president, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, Canada, and the International Coordinating Investigator for SYGMA 1 said: “We know that many millions of patients around the world are over-reliant on their reliever medications, which improve symptoms but do not treat inflammation, and underuse anti-inflammatory maintenance controller treatments resulting in preventable exacerbations. The SYGMA trials provide important new data which could improve the treatment of mild asthma and inform management guidelines.” 

Dr Colin Reisner, head of Respiratory, Global Medicines Development at AZ, said the data “shows the potential value of Symbicort as an anti-inflammatory reliever ‘as needed’ in mild asthma, building on the established benefits of Symbicort in moderate to severe disease.”