Glaxo's Advair Diskus study results published by NEJM

Results from GlaxoSmithKline’s long-term safety study of Advair Diskus for the treatment of adults and adolescents with asthma have been published by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Kate Knobil, chief medical officer of pharmaceuticals at GSK said: "We are pleased that this study, which demonstrates the safety profile of Advair, has now been presented in a well-respected, peer-reviewed journal and also presented at scientific congress. This will give physicians the opportunity to independently review the results of this study."

The study, the results of which were reported in October, compared Advair Diskus to a monotherapy of fluticasone propionate to assess the safety profiles of each medicine when used to treat adolescent and adult patients with asthma.

This was assessed by the composite endpoint of serious asthma-related events – deaths, intubations or hospitalisations – and showed Advair had a safety profile comparable to FP, including no asthma-related deaths in either arm.

These results are being simultaneously presented at the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) Congress in Los Angeles, California, Glaxo said.