Symbicort SMART(R) (
Symbicort Maintenance and Reliever
Therapy) represents a new and unique way of treating patients with moderate-to-severe
asthma, ie, those patients who require combination treatment with an inhaled
corticosteroid and a long-acting inhaled beta(2)-agonist.
Symbicort SMART enables patients to use only one
inhaler, the
budesonide-
formoterol combination
inhaler, for both maintenance and reliever
therapy. The maintenance dose is adjustable, but should be a minimum of two doses per day which can be administered as two doses once daily or as one dose twice daily. It is important that the temporary reliever medication includes not only a
bronchodilator but also an antiinflammatory
drug because worsening of
asthma includes not only more airway narrowing, but also an increase in airway
inflammation. The
Symbicort SMART concept therefore ensures that the patient gets an antiinflammatory
drug at the time of the first signs of
asthma worsening. Clinical results show that
Symbicort SMART prolongs the time to the first severe
asthma exacerbation, reduces the rate of exacerbations, and maintains day-to-day
asthma control at a reduced load of
corticosteroids (inhaled plus systemic) when compared with higher fixed maintenance doses of combination
inhalers.
Symbicort SMART consequently offers a more effective and simple approach to
asthma management for physicians and patients.
Symbicort SMART is also easier for the patient as only one
inhaler is required. The positive results with
Symbicort SMART can be explained by the early as-needed use on the inhaled
corticosteroid component, which puts out the early flames of
inflammation, together with the interaction between the beta(2)-agonist,
formoterol, and the inhaled
corticosteroid,
budesonide.