Seretide launched in UK and shows promise in comparative trials

Glaxo Wellcome's combination asthma product Seretide(salmeterol/fluticasone propionate) has been launched in the UK, its second market after Sweden which acted as the rapporteur for the member states of the European Union (Marketletter September 14, 1998). Available in the UK since March 1, its list price for each 60-dose Accuhaler is L33.54 ($53.81) for 100mcg, L39.41 for 250mcg and L66.98 for 500mcg. A spokesman for the company told the Marketletter that Germany was most likely to be the next market in which the drug would become available, probably within the next few weeks.

Meantime, the drug has demonstrated improved clinical benefits over GW's beta agonist Serevent (salmeterol xinafoate) or the corticosteroid Flixotide (fluticasone propionate) alone in a series of trials in mild asthmatics, the results of which were presented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Orlando, USA.

Seretide achieved a greater improvement in lung function, measured by FEV1 and peak expiratory flow rates, and had a faster onset of action than the comparative drugs. It was also found to improve the quality of life and sleep scores of patients with asthma by increasing the number of days patients are symptom-free.