Canada Lawyers Represent People Injured by Advair Inhalers

Advair is a popular inhaler used to control asthma and COPD. It combines two medications: fluticasone propionate (a steroid that reduces inflammation in the lungs) and salmeterol (a long-acting bronchodilator that opens up the airways). Advair is intended for long-term control of asthma and is not a fast-acting inhaler to be used during a sudden attack.

Advair currently has a “black box” warning in the U.S., alerting patients that studies have demonstrated patients taking Advair are at an increased risk of death or hospitalization resulting from asthma attacks.

Black Box Warning Alerts Patients to Side Effects of Advair

June 6, 2006An analysis of 19 studies assessing the safety of long-acting asthma medicines, including Advair and Serevent, revealed that patients on the drugs are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized compared to those taking placebos.

Advair carries a black box warning alerting patients to serious risks associated with the drug. The researchers estimated that Advair may be responsible for as many as 4,000 of the 5,000 asthma-related deaths each year in the United States.

The report prompted the FDA to reduce the following public health advisory:

Even though LABA’s decrease the frequency of asthma episodes, these medicines may make asthma episodes more severe when they occur.

FDA Forces Advair Maker to Add Warnings

August 9, 2004The FDA announced that it will require GlaxoSmithKline to include more stringent warnings relating to potentially life-threatening side effects of Advair. The warning reads as follows:

WARNING: Data from a large placebo-controlled US study that compared the safety of salmeterol (SEREVENT Inhalation Aerosol) or placebo added to usual asthma therapy showed a small but significant increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol (17 deaths out of 13,174 patients treated for 28 weeks) versus those on placebo (4 of 13,179). Subgroup analyses suggest the risk may be greater in African-American patients compared to Caucasians.

A similar warning was also added to GSK’s Serevent, a similar asthma drug.

Advair Lawyers Canada

Greg Monforton and Partners is handling legal claims against GlaxoSmithKline on behalf of Canadians injured by Advair.

If you or a loved one has been injured by Advair, we encourage you to contact us. We are representing clients throughout Canada.

For more information about Advair, please complete our online form.