Dumfries & Galloway Health Board
Prescribing Support Team

Salmeterol to Combination inhalers

Posted: 10 Nov 10 Edited: 8 Aug 18
Audits Respiratory


The stepwise approach to the treatment of asthma in adults as outlined in the ‘SIGN 101 Guideline for the Management of Asthma’ recommends the use of an inhaled beta agonist (step 1) followed by the addition of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS, step 2) and a long acting beta agonist (LABA, step 3). The addition of a LABA i.e. salmeterol/formoterol suggests that these patients will have already been prescribed an ICS as per the SIGN guidelines. CHM advice is that LABAs should only be added only if regular ICS have failed to control asthma adequately and should only be used in asthma where patients are regularly using an ICS.