Two medicines, side by side
Budesonide/formoterol vs fluticasone/salmeterol
Budesonide/formoterol and fluticasone/salmeterol are both labeled for asthma and COPD. Drugs@FDA records approvals of budesonide/formoterol since 2006 and of fluticasone/salmeterol since 2000. Pharmacies paid $17.26 per gram (Budesonide-formoterol 160-4.5) and $1.07 per unit (Fluticasone-salmeterol 100-50) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Fluticasone/salmeterol's other strengths are brand-only: $20.00 per gram (Advair hfa 45-21 mcg inhaler). How each works, in its label's words: Budesonide/formoterol, “SYMBICORT SYMBICORT contains both budesonide and formoterol; therefore, the mechanisms of action described below for the individual components apply to SYMBICORT.”; Fluticasone/salmeterol, “ADVAIR DISKUS ADVAIR DISKUS contains both fluticasone propionate and salmeterol.”
Check it at the source: the budesonide/formoterol FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 24, 2019); the fluticasone/salmeterol FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 26, 2026).
Highlights of the budesonide and formoterol record
Budesonide and formoterol (Symbicort) · label of July 24, 2019
Used for
From the label: indicationsSYMBICORT is a combination product containing a corticosteroid and a long-acting beta 2 -adrenergic agonist indicated for: • Treatment of asthma in patients 6 years of age and older. ( 1.1 ) • Maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction and reducing exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 21, 2006
- Generic labelers
- 2 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $17.26 per gram
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Highlights of the fluticasone and salmeterol record
Fluticasone and salmeterol (Advair) · label of March 26, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsADVAIR DISKUS is a combination product containing a corticosteroid and a long-acting beta 2 -adrenergic agonist (LABA) indicated for: • Twice-daily treatment of asthma in patients aged 4 years and older. ( 1.1 ) • Maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction and reducing exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 24, 2000
- Generic labelers
- 8 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $1.07 per unit
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 3
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Budesonide/formoterol label of July 24, 2019, Fluticasone/salmeterol label of March 26, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do budesonide/formoterol and fluticasone/salmeterol differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Budesonide/formoterol, “SYMBICORT SYMBICORT contains both budesonide and formoterol; therefore, the mechanisms of action described below for the individual components apply to SYMBICORT.”; Fluticasone/salmeterol, “ADVAIR DISKUS ADVAIR DISKUS contains both fluticasone propionate and salmeterol.”
Both are in FDA's class beta2-adrenergic agonists.
Half-life, in each label's words: Budesonide/formoterol, “Following administration of SYMBICORT, the half-life of the budesonide component was 4.7 hours.”; Fluticasone/salmeterol, “Elimination Fluticasone Propionate: Following intravenous dosing, fluticasone propionate showed polyexponential …”
Generics: budesonide/formoterol since 2022; fluticasone/salmeterol since 2019 (Drugs@FDA).
| Budesonide/formoterol | Fluticasone/salmeterol | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Asthma, COPD | Asthma, COPD |
| Pharmacologic class | Corticosteroid, beta2-Adrenergic Agonist | Corticosteroid, beta2-Adrenergic Agonist |
| How it works (label) | SYMBICORT SYMBICORT contains both budesonide and formoterol; therefore, the mechanisms of action described below for the individual components apply to SYMBICORT. | ADVAIR DISKUS ADVAIR DISKUS contains both fluticasone propionate and salmeterol. The mechanisms of action described below for the individual components apply to ADVAIR DISKUS. |
| Half-life (label) | Following administration of SYMBICORT, the half-life of the budesonide component was 4.7 hours. | Elimination Fluticasone Propionate: Following intravenous dosing, fluticasone propionate showed polyexponential kinetics and had a terminal elimination half-life of approximately 7.8 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | July 21, 2006 | August 24, 2000 |
| First generic approved | March 15, 2022 | January 30, 2019 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 2 labelers | 8 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $17.26 per gram (Budesonide-formoterol 160-4.5) | $1.07 per unit (Fluticasone-salmeterol 100-50) |
| 12-month price change | -8% | -8% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 3 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 97,711 | 100,237 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
Do their labels mention each other?
Fluticasone/salmeterol label, warnings and precautionsThree (3) trials included adult and adolescent subjects aged 12 years and older: 1 trial compared fluticasone propionate/salmeterol inhalation powder (ADVAIR DISKUS) with fluticasone propionate inhalation powder [see Clinical Studies ( 14.1 )], 1 trial compared mometasone furoate/formoterol with mometasone furoate, and 1 trial compared budesonide/formoterol with budesonide.
Fluticasone/salmeterol label, warnings and precautionsThree (3) trials included adult and adolescent subjects aged 12 years and older: 1 trial compared fluticasone propionate/salmeterol inhalation powder with fluticasone propionate inhalation powder, 1 trial compared mometasone furoate/formoterol with mometasone furoate, and 1 trial compared budesonide/formoterol with budesonide.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to budesonide/formoterol
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions