Researchers welcome approval of new treatment for asthma

Researchers have welcomed the acceptance of a new treatment for asthma for use on the NHS in Scotland.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted budesonide/formoterol, which has been given the brand name Symbicort Turbohaler, for treating mild asthma in patients aged 12 and over.

The combination treatment targets airway inflammation and relaxes the airways, officials said.

It is the first inhaler in mild asthma with a marketing authorisation containing both an inhaled corticosteroid and a beta-2 adrenoceptor agonist which has rapid and long-lasting effects.

Asthma is believed to affect two out of 10 people in Scotland and it is estimated around 210,000 patients could be eligible for the new treatment.

SMC vice chairman Dr Robert Peel said: “We are pleased to be able to accept Symbicort Turbohaler for use by NHS Scotland. It is the first combination reliever therapy for mild asthma.

“Patients with mild asthma are still at risk of asthma attacks which are driven by airway inflammation.

“This combination treatment targets both airway inflammation and relaxes the airways, and will be welcomed by patients and clinicians alike.”

Dr Brian Lipworth, of the Scottish Centre for Respiratory Research at Ninewells Hospital, University of Dundee, said: “The SMC’s decision is based on robust data from four different clinical trials demonstrating that Symbicort Turbohaler effectively targets airway inflammation and also delivers rapid, long-acting relaxation of the airway.

“Even people with mild asthma are at risk of a severe asthma attack, which can be life-threatening.

“By providing patients in Scotland with an innovative new treatment option for mild asthma, we can alleviate the disease burden by reducing patients’ risk of having a severe asthma attack and reduce the environmental impact, given that a patient whose asthma is well-controlled has a lower carbon footprint, thereby optimising best practice in asthma care.”

The SMC chose not to recommend ruxolitinib cream, or Opzelura, for the treatment of vitiligo, a condition which causes patches of skin to lose colour, in its latest round of decisions.

Dr Peel said: “The committee was not able to accept ruxolitinib cream for the treatment of vitiligo due to uncertainties in the evidence provided.

“We would welcome a resubmission from the company.”

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma and Lung UK Scotland, said: “We welcome the news from the SMC that Symbicort can now be prescribed to people with asthma in Scotland.

“The approval of Symbicort, a combination asthma inhaler that contains an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting bronchodilator, demonstrates a new use for previously available asthma medication.

“Evidence shows that people with mild asthma could be prescribed a Symbicort inhaler, without needing to be prescribed a separate reliever and a preventer inhaler first.

“We know that for most people asthma symptoms and asthma attacks are set off by inflammation in the airways of the lung.

“Although reliever inhalers (typically blue) do help hide the symptoms for a short time, they do not treat the inflammation that causes the symptoms in the first place. A low preventer dose of inhaled corticosteroid helps dampen down the inflammation and makes symptoms and asthma attacks less likely.

“This type of inhaler won’t be suitable for everyone but it’s a significant change that we hope will improve the lives of people with asthma in Scotland.”