Airsupra (albuterol/budesonide), formerly known as PT027, has been approved in the US for the as-needed treatment or prevention of bronchoconstriction and to reduce the risk of exacerbations in people with asthma aged 18 years and older.

“With patients experiencing more than 10 million asthma exacerbations each year in the US and uncontrolled asthma expected to cost the US economy billions of dollars in direct medical costs alone over the next 20 years, today’s positive decision is good news for those adults with asthma who make up more than 80% of asthma patients in the US. Physicians will be able to offer their patients Airsupra, an important new rescue treatment that reduces the risk of asthma exacerbations,” says Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca.

The MANDALA and DENALI Phase III trials

The approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was based on results from the MANDALA and DENALI Phase III trials. In MANDALA, Airsupra significantly reduced the risk of severe exacerbations compared to albuterol in patients with moderate to severe asthma when used as an as-needed rescue medication in response to symptoms. Importantly, in the secondary endpoint of mean annualized total systemic corticosteroid exposure, Airsupra demonstrated a significant reduction compared to albuterol at the approved dose of 180mcg albuterol/160mcg budesonide. In DENALI, Airsupra significantly improved lung function compared to the individual components albuterol and budesonide in patients with mild to moderate asthma.

Airsupra is a first-in-class, pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI), fixed-dose combination rescue medication containing albuterol, a short-acting beta2-agonist (SABA), and budesonide, an anti-inflammatory inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) in the US. It is being developed by AstraZeneca and Avillion.

The safety and tolerability of Airsupra in both trials were consistent with the known profiles of the components, with the most common adverse events including headache, oral candidiasis, cough and dysphonia.

Photo: AstraZeneca