Indications
Treatment of Asthma: Pulmicort-F inhaler is meant for treating asthma in patients aged 12 years and older. It is not intended to relieve sudden (acute) bronchospasm. Maintenance treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Pulmicort-F inhalation capsule is meant for twice-daily maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. This inhalation capsule is the only approved dosage form for treating airflow obstruction in COPD.
⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.
Pharmacology
Budesonide: This is an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid with strong glucocorticoid activity and only weak mineralocorticoid activity. Inflammation plays a major role in how asthma develops. Corticosteroids act broadly to inhibit many of the cell types (such as mast cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes) and mediators (such as histamine, eicosanoids, leukotrienes and cytokines) that drive both allergic and non-allergic inflammation. These anti-inflammatory effects are thought to contribute to the drug's benefit in asthma.
Formoterol Fumarate Dihydrate: This is a long-acting, selective beta2-adrenergic agonist that starts working quickly. When inhaled, Formoterol Fumarate Dihydrate BP acts directly in the lungs as a bronchodilator. Like other beta2-adrenoceptor agonists, its effects come from stimulating intracellular adenyl cyclase, the enzyme that converts adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into cyclic AMP. The resulting rise in cyclic AMP relaxes the smooth muscle of the airways and reduces the release of mediators of immediate hypersensitivity from cells, particularly from mast cells.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
For this combination, or for the concomitant treatment with Formoterol and Budesonide, no clinical data on exposed pregnancies are available. Data from an embryo-foetal development study in the rat showed no evidence of any additional effect from the combination there. There are no adequate data on the use of Formoterol in pregnant women. In animal studies, Formoterol has caused adverse effects in reproduction studies, but only at very high systemic exposure levels. Budesonide is excreted in breast milk; however, at therapeutic doses, no effects on the suckling child are anticipated. It is not known whether Formoterol passes into human breast milk, though in rats, small amounts of Formoterol have been detected in maternal milk. This combination should be given to breast-feeding women only if the expected benefit to the mother is greater than any possible risk to the child.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Dosage Reference
⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.