WASHINGTON — Government health advisers recommended restrictions Thursday on some long-acting asthma drugs, although not Advair, a top-selling medication.
Outside experts advising the Food and Drug Administration said Foradil and Serevent no longer should be used for asthma. But they said the benefits of the more widely used Advair and Symbicort clearly outweigh the risks.
Each contains an ingredient that relaxes muscles around stressed airways. But that might mask symptoms that can trigger a life-threatening asthma attack. Advair and Symbicort contain a second ingredient that reduces inflammation inside breathing passages and might help patients avoid such a problem.
For all four drugs, the FDA’s drug-safety experts had recommended restrictions, including not using them to treat asthmatic children. The agency’s respiratory specialists disagreed, saying the risks were manageable.
With its own experts deadlocked, the FDA called in an unusually large panel of nearly 30 outside advisers. The medical and scientific experts said Advair and Symbicort should continue to be used with all patients, including children. The FDA usually follows the recommendations of its outside advisers.
Patients should not stop taking any of the medications without first consulting their doctor, said Dr. John Jenkins, head of the FDA’s new drugs office.
About 22 million people in the United States have asthma, which kills nearly 3,600 people every year. Children account for nearly one of every three patients.
