Used for the management of both asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), Advair is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline on the website, Advair.com and elsewhere around the world under various names. Advair contains salmeterol xinafoate and fluticasone propionate and is also called Adoair in Japan; Seretide in Australia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Columbia, the EU, and New Zealand; ForAir in India; Viani in Germany; and Foxair in South Africa. Annual sales in 2009 of Advair and its various incarnations were approximately $7 billion US. The US patent expired in 2010 and the European patent will expire in 2013.
Advair is not used to treat asthma attacks once they have already begun. Advair.com states that Advair is instead used to help prevent asthma attacks as well as to prevent the worsening of COPD or flare-ups of the disease (which may be associated with emphysema and / or bronchitis). Patients who have food or drug allergies should consult their doctor before taking Advair. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, glaucoma, diabetes, epilepsy or other seizure disorders, a weak immune system, or any type of infection should also tell their doctor about their condition before starting Advair.
For patients without prescription coverage or who cannot afford their prescriptions, the website offers a link to the GSK for you program from GlaxoSmithKline. The program may be able to help patients receive discounts on their medications. Advair.com offers asthma information for healthcare professionals and also encourages anyone taking Advair to report any side effects they may experience to the Food and Drug Administration (for which a link and phone number are provided on the site). Patients may also report side effects through the contact page on Advair.com or by calling GSK at the phone number provided on the website.
