FDA approves GSK's Flovent in children aged four to 11

UK-headquartered pharmaceutical major GlaxoSmithKline says that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Flovent (fluticasone propionate) HFA in children four to 11 years of age with asthma. The drug is an inhaled corticosteroid which helps prevent airway inflammation associated with asthma. Now children with asthma as young as four years of age can benefit from the most prescribed ICS in an environmentally-friendly aerosol formulation, the company notes.

Flovent HFA is a reformulation of the asthma medication Flovent Inhalation Aerosol which uses hydrofluoroalkane (HFA-134a) to propel the medication out of the canister and into the lungs. Hydrofluoroalkane replaces the chlorofluorocarbon propellant and is more ozone friendly. This approval supports the firm's commitment to a CFC-free portfolio of respiratory products, says GSK.