ACAAI: ICS + Formoterol and ICS + SABA Better Than SABA Alone for Asthma

TUESDAY, Oct. 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with asthma, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) combined with short-acting β agonists (SABA) and ICS combined with the long-acting β 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. 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.

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.

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).

"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.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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