Prescription medication · Corticosteroid / Long-Acting Beta-2 Agonist Combination
fluticasone/salmeterol
Also sold as Advair. Advair Diskus is used to treat asthma in people 4 years and older.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 5
- InteractionsFew interactions
- $2.49
- Brand price (NADAC)
fluticasone/salmeterol (Advair) is a prescription Corticosteroid / Long-Acting Beta-2 Agonist Combination. Advair Diskus is used to treat asthma in people 4 years and older.
Advair Diskus is a medicine that contains a steroid and a long-acting bronchodilator. It helps to control asthma and COPD by reducing inflammation and opening airways in the lungs.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$2.49/unit
Generic Available
No
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Advair Diskus is used to treat asthma in people 4 years and older.
Common side effects
Upper respiratory infection, Sore throat, Hoarseness
Key warnings
Long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) like salmeterol can increase the risk of asthma-related death.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from fluticasone/salmeterol's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Advair Diskus contains two medicines. Fluticasone is a steroid that reduces swelling in your lungs. Salmeterol is a long-acting bronchodilator that relaxes the muscles around your airways, making it easier to breathe.
Serious Warnings
Long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) like salmeterol can increase the risk of asthma-related death. Do not use Advair Diskus to treat sudden asthma symptoms. Do not use other medicines containing a LABA. Watch for signs of pneumonia if you have COPD.
Known Drug Interactions
• Strong cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir, ketoconazole): Use not recommended. The use of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir, atazanavir, clarithromycin, indinavir, itraconazole, nefazodone, nelfinavir, saquinavir, ketoconazole, telithromycin) with ADVAIR DISKUS is not recommended because increased systemic corticosteroid and increased cardiovascular adverse effects may occur. Ketoconazole Fluticasone Propionate: Coadministration of orally inhaled fluticasone propionate (1,000 mcg) and ketoconazole (200 mg once daily) resulted in a 1.9-fold increase in plasma...
Mechanism: Ketoconazole stops your body from clearing the medicine in the inhaler. This can lead to higher levels of the steroid in your body and may cause heart-related side effects.
The use of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir, atazanavir, clarithromycin, indinavir, itraconazole, nefazodone, nelfinavir, saquinavir, ketoconazole, telithromycin) with ADVAIR DISKUS is not recommended because increased systemic corticosteroid and increased cardiovascular adverse effects may occur.
Mechanism: Clarithromycin blocks the enzyme that breaks down the ingredients in your inhaler. This can cause the medicine to build up in your body and increase the risk of side effects.
The use of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir, atazanavir, clarithromycin, indinavir, itraconazole, nefazodone, nelfinavir, saquinavir, ketoconazole, telithromycin) with ADVAIR DISKUS is not recommended because increased systemic corticosteroid and increased cardiovascular adverse effects may occur.
Mechanism: Itraconazole stops the body from breaking down the inhaler medicine, which can lead to higher levels in your blood and more side effects.
( 7.4 ) 7.1 Inhibitors of Cytochrome P450 3A4 Fluticasone propionate and salmeterol, the individual components of ADVAIR DISKUS, are substrates of CYP3A4. Ritonavir Fluticasone Propionate: A drug interaction trial with fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray in healthy subjects has shown that ritonavir (a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor) can significantly increase plasma fluticasone propionate exposure, resulting in significantly reduced serum cortisol concentrations [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . During postmarketing use, there have been reports of clinically significant drug...
Mechanism: Both of these products contain the same steroid medicine. Taking them together increases the amount of medicine in your body, which can lower your natural hormone levels.
May potentiate effect of salmeterol on vascular system. ( 7.4 ) 7.1 Inhibitors of Cytochrome P450 3A4 Fluticasone propionate and salmeterol, the individual components of ADVAIR DISKUS, are substrates of CYP3A4. Salmeterol: In a drug interaction trial in 20 healthy subjects, coadministration of inhaled salmeterol (50 mcg twice daily) and oral ketoconazole (400 mg once daily) for 7 days resulted in greater systemic exposure to salmeterol (AUC increased 16-fold and C max increased 1.4-fold).
Mechanism: These two products contain the same active ingredient. Taking both at once can lead to an overdose, which may cause heart or blood pressure problems.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I use Advair Diskus for a sudden asthma attack?
How often should I use Advair Diskus?
What should I do if Advair Diskus doesn't seem to be working?
Can I use other long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) with Advair Diskus?
Do I need to rinse my mouth after using Advair Diskus?
Can Advair Diskus cause thrush?
Is it safe to use Advair Diskus during pregnancy?
Can Advair Diskus affect my bones?
Does Advair Diskus have side effects?
What does Advair Diskus treat?
What are the common side effects of fluticasone/salmeterol?
Does fluticasone/salmeterol interact with other medications?
What drug class is fluticasone/salmeterol?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for fluticasone/salmeterol?
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Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for fluticasone/salmeterol
The FDA label for fluticasone/salmeterol (sold under brand names such as Advair) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Corticosteroid / Long-Acting Beta-2 Agonist Combination class. Advair Diskus is used to treat asthma in people 4 years and older. Official labeling lists 9 commonly reported side effects, including Upper respiratory infection, Sore throat, Hoarseness.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. Voluntary reports accumulate over the lifetime of a drug and reflect wide-ranging clinical use. The database also lists 5 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: August 8, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages