Combination Inhaler for Mild Asthma

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) has recently expanded the listing criteria for Symbicort^®. Symbicort^® contains the corticosteroid, budesonide plus the long-acting β₂-agonist (LABA), formoterol.

The new PBS listing allows Symbicort^® to be used as reliever therapy in the management of mild asthma in patients 12 years of age and older who are not currently using a single agent LABA. Previously, Symbicort^® was only PBS listed for the treatment of moderate to severe forms of asthma, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This new PBS listing aligns with the recommendations of the Global Initiative for Asthma which no longer recommends the use of a short-acting β₂-agonist alone for adults and adolescents with asthma. Instead, an inhaled corticosteroid plus LABA is their preferred option for symptom relief in these patients. In patients with mild asthma, randomised controlled trials demonstrate that this therapy is associated with a 64% lower rate of severe exacerbations compared to treatment with a short-acting β₂-agonist alone.

The following table shows the PBS streamlined authority codes for the different presentations of Symbicort^®. Please refer to the PBS website for full clinical criteria.