Correct Prescription for Trelegy Ellipta
Trelegy Ellipta should be prescribed as: "Trelegy Ellipta 100-62.5-25 mcg, inhale 1 inhalation orally once daily," with a 30-day supply dispensed (1 inhaler containing 30 doses) and appropriate refills authorized. 1
Prescription Components
Medication Strength and Formulation
- Trelegy Ellipta contains three active ingredients: fluticasone furoate 100 mcg (inhaled corticosteroid), umeclidinium 62.5 mcg (long-acting muscarinic antagonist), and vilanterol 25 mcg (long-acting beta2 agonist) per inhalation 1
- The device is a dry powder inhaler delivered via the ELLIPTA breath-activated mechanism 2
Dosing Instructions
- Administer once daily at the same time each day 1, 3
- The single daily dose regimen makes it ideal for patients who struggle with complex inhaled therapy regimens 2
- Each ELLIPTA inhaler contains 30 doses, providing exactly one month of therapy when used once daily 2
Proper Prescription Format
The prescription should specify:
- Drug name: Trelegy Ellipta 100-62.5-25 mcg/actuation
- Route: Inhalation (oral inhalation)
- Dose: 1 inhalation
- Frequency: Once daily
- Duration: 30 days (or ongoing for chronic therapy)
- Dispense: 1 inhaler (30 doses)
- Refills: As appropriate for chronic COPD management 1
Device-Specific Considerations
ELLIPTA Inhaler Advantages
- The ELLIPTA device has medium resistance and delivers a consistent dose across a range of inspiratory flow rates 2
- Significantly fewer patients make critical errors with ELLIPTA after reading the patient information leaflet compared to other inhaler devices (only 5-14% error rate versus 44-60% with comparator devices) 4
- Most patients (57-70%) make no errors using ELLIPTA and do not require additional instruction 4
Patient Education Points
- Patients should be instructed to inhale forcefully and deeply through the device to activate the breath-activated mechanism 2
- The device does not require coordination between actuation and inhalation like metered-dose inhalers 4
- Patients should be advised to rinse their mouth after use to reduce local corticosteroid side effects, though this is less emphasized with once-daily dosing 5
Common Prescribing Pitfalls
Avoid These Errors
- Do not prescribe "1 puff" - the correct terminology is "1 inhalation" for dry powder inhalers 2
- Do not write "MCG/ACT Aerosol Powder" - this is redundant; simply write the strength followed by "per inhalation" 1
- Do not prescribe twice-daily dosing - Trelegy Ellipta is specifically formulated for once-daily administration only 1, 3
- Do not dispense multiple inhalers for a 30-day supply - one inhaler contains exactly 30 doses 2