Aersurpa: New Rescue Combination Inhaler For Asthma

Exciting news for the asthma community! The long-awaited Airsurpa inhaler has finally made its debut, offering a breath of fresh air for asthmatics like myself. Inspired by my colleague, the Asthma Mom, who crafted a thoughtful piece on this innovative inhaler, I felt compelled to share my own insights on this groundbreaking addition to our respiratory toolkit.

Back in 2007, as I delved into the asthma blogging community, I stumbled upon a program initiated in Europe known as the Symbicort Smart program. This program permitted asthmatics to utilize their Symbicort inhaler not only as a controller inhaler but also as a rescue inhaler, allowing up to 8 uses per day. 

Further exploration revealed the rationale behind this approach: for individuals with severe asthma requiring additional rescue medication, an extra dose of inhaled steroid could offer substantial benefits. The success of the Symbicort Smart program led to its eventual FDA approval in the United States. However, navigating insurance limitations, such as obtaining more than one Symbicort per month, remains a hurdle for some, myself included.

The Aersurpa inhaler capitalizes on this concept by integrating the corticosteroid budesonide with the rescue medicine Albuterol. This innovative combination offers a solution for asthmatics who, despite using controller inhalers or other advanced asthma medications, still require rescue medicine. Now, they have the option of this new inhaler to better manage their asthma throughout the day.

This new inhaler contains 90 mcg of Albuterol and 80 mcg of budesonide. It was approved by the FDA for as needed treatment for asthma on January 11, 2023. At the present time it is only approved for adults over the age of 18. 

References. 

1. "New Aersurpa Inhaler, "Asthma Mom," https://asthmamomlife.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-airsupra-inhaler.html, accessed 01/02/2022
2. "FDA Approves Drug Combination Treatment For Adults With Asthma," U.S. Food And Drug Administration, https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-drug-combination-treatment-adults-asthma, accessed 01/02/2024