Fostair

What is Fostair?

Fostair is a combined inhaler that uses two types of medicine to treat asthma and COPD symptoms. Beclometasone dipropionate is a corticosteroid (not the anabolic type, these steroids have an anti-inflammatory action) and Formoterol fumarate dihydrate is a bronchodilator which relaxes your muscles to help your breathing.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease share similar symptoms which cause inflammation of the airways, leading to breathing difficulties. With a dual-action approach, both medicines in the Fostair inhaler work together to relieve your symptoms and give you long-lasting comfort from asthma-induced shortness of breath, chest tightness and wheezing. It also helps relieve COPD symptoms.

Current guidelines^[1] recommend using Fostair and other similar combination inhalers either:

• as an anti-inflammatory reliever (AIR therapy), taken as needed for people aged 12 and up who have newly diagnosed asthma, or:
• as maintenance and reliever therapy (MART), taken every day if your asthma is more troublesome, like if you’re waking up at night often or have a history of severe flare-ups.

How do Fostair inhalers work?

The two active ingredients in Fostair work side-by-side to calm the inflammation caused by both asthma and COPD. The pressurised inhaler reduces the narrowing of the airways. This allows you to breathe easier and more comfortably.

You can think of corticosteroids as a man-made replacement for hormones your body (the adrenal glands specifically) make naturally. By giving you more of these hormones than you normally produce, steroid inhalers suppress your body’s inflammatory response to the triggers that set off your asthma. Bronchodilators work by making the muscles in your lungs relax and expanding your airways (bronchi).

Fostair can be used as both a long term preventer (daily), and as an immediate reliever (as-needed) for a sudden worsening of symptoms. A severe version of this is commonly called an asthma attack.

Which dose of Fostair shall I start on?

Fostair is available in two different strength doses: 100/6mcg & 200/6mcg.

You’re always in charge of your asthma treatment, and as the condition tends to affect people differently, you should ask an expert some questions about which dose to start on. If you start on the lower dose we offer and feel it’s not giving you enough relief, you can easily switch to the higher dose if required.

How to use your Fostair inhaler

Firstly, we recommend that you check for possible allergens in the active ingredients in your Fostair. The medicine contains a small amount of alcohol, which could make it unsuitable for you. A clinician will advise you about the number of puffs to use daily.

To use your Fostair inhaler:

1. Test your inhaler. Remove the protective cap and release one puff by depressing the canister. The counter should read 120 if it’s brand new.
2. If the mouthpiece is clean and free from dust, place your lips around it.
3. Breathe out deeply, and slowly.
4. As you breathe in again, press the top of the inhaler to release a puff.
5. Hold your breath for as long as you can, and then remove the inhaler from your mouth.
6. If you need another puff, repeat steps 2-5 after half a minute or so.

For regular daily use, take one or two puffs twice a day, once in the morning and once again in the evening, as instructed by your clinician.

If you’re using it as-needed, take one puff when you get asthma symptoms, then give it a few minutes. If you’re still not feeling better, you can take another puff. Don’t exceed six puffs a day. If you’ve reached the maximum and your symptoms are still bothering you, get medical help straight away.

We suggest you rinse your mouth, or brush your teeth, after using your Fostair. That’ll ensure you don’t get any problems like dry mouth, a sore throat or a fungal infection.

Can I overuse my Fostair inhaler?

Fostair can be used as both a preventer and a reliever for asthma. These combination inhalers are sometimes called ‘pink’ inhalers. Colours are often used as terms to denote what inhalers do, such as the more common blue (reliever or rescue, used as-needed when symptoms flare up) and brown (preventer, used daily).

If you’re using your Fostair inhaler for maintenance therapy only, the maximum daily dose is 4 puffs a day (for both strengths). If you’re using it for both maintenance and relief, the maximum daily dose is 8 puffs a day.

We advise sticking to your recommended dose and seeing if your symptoms improve before switching doses. Our experts can advise you about using a separate reliever, should you need one.

Is the pressurised version of Fostair better than the NEXThaler?

Asthma treatments largely focus on the same thing – improving your breathing. By addressing the inflammation in your lungs, inhalers and tablets aim to prevent inflammation in your airways. Though similar, COPD is a bit more complex and involves treating more than just airflow obstruction. Because of this, it’s best you ask our team some questions about using Fostair to treat COPD.

The combination of active ingredients in your Fostair pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) are exactly the same as the ones in the Fostair NEXThaler. Both are equally as effective at treating your symptoms, so the short answer is no. In fact, studies have shown little difference between the two types of inhaler, meaning neither is better than the other as a treatment option. ^[1] The main difference between the two is the inhalation technique — the NEXThaler is a dry powder inhaler (DPI) so the technique for using it differs slightly from the Fostair.

The pressurised metered dose version we offer should be enough to keep your asthma symptoms in check.