Is concurrent use of budesonide-formoterol (Symbicort) and Breztri (budesonide-glycopyrrolate-formoterol) recommended?

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Last updated: February 8, 2025View editorial policy

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There are no official guidelines to assist in answering this question. I will search for relevant research papers instead.

The FDA Drug Labels for budesonide-formoterol (INH), budesonide (INH), glycopyrrolate (INH), formoterol (INH) do not address this question.

From the Research

Concurrent Use of Budesonide-Formoterol and Breztri

There is no direct evidence to recommend the concurrent use of budesonide-formoterol (Symbicort) and Breztri (budesonide-glycopyrrolate-formoterol) in the provided studies.

Available Information on Individual Treatments

  • Budesonide/formoterol is a combination inhaled steroid and long-acting bronchodilator approved for use in COPD, which has been shown to be more effective than either component alone in addressing many important aspects of the disease 1.
  • Budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol (Breztri) is an inhaled fixed-dose combination of the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide, the long-acting muscarinic antagonist glycopyrronium bromide, and the long-acting β2-agonist formoterol fumarate, which has been shown to reduce the rates of moderate/severe COPD exacerbations and improve lung function to a greater extent than budesonide/formoterol and/or glycopyrronium/formoterol 2.
  • A network meta-analysis suggested that budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol has comparable efficacy to other ICS/LAMA/LABA fixed-dose and open triple combination therapies in reducing exacerbations and improving lung function and symptoms in patients with moderate to very severe COPD 3.
  • A review of fixed-dose ICS/LABA combinations, including budesonide/formoterol, found that the effects of budesonide/formoterol on reducing exacerbations and improving quality of life may be similar to, or more marked than, those of other LABA/ICS combinations in COPD 4.
  • Budesonide/glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate co-suspension metered dose inhaler has been shown to reduce the risk of exacerbations, decrease rescue inhaler use, and improve patient-reported outcomes of symptoms and well-being in patients with COPD 5.

Lack of Direct Comparison

There are no studies that directly compare the concurrent use of budesonide-formoterol and Breztri, and therefore, no recommendation can be made based on the available evidence.

Professional Medical Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. Any medical decision-making should rely on clinical judgment and independently verified information. The content provided herein does not replace professional discretion and should be considered supplementary to established clinical guidelines. Healthcare providers should verify all information against primary literature and current practice standards before application in patient care. Dr.Oracle assumes no liability for clinical decisions based on this content.

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